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Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

Ohta Katsunori of Ohta Farm: Growing a Tajima Herd in Hyogo's Mountains

From about 100 cows to roughly 1,600, a second-generation Tajima cattle farmer built one of the most awarded Kobe Beef farms.

Who is Ohta Katsunori?

Ohta Katsunori is the president of Ohta Farm, a producer of Kobe Beef in the mountains of Hyogo Prefecture. In Japanese order his family name comes first, so many English pages print the same name as Katsunori Ohta. His parents ran the farm before him, and he began helping at 18, when it held about 100 cows. Everything in this profile comes from his public record as a farmer: farm size, methods and show results.

The farm sits in the Tajima district, near the Hachibuse Kogen Heights, in a ravine where the 2011 Kobe Beef producer profile says deep snow lies from late December to early March.

How did Ohta Farm grow from 100 cows to 1,600?

The Kobe Beef producer series profiled the farm in 2011, 2015 and 2017, and the three pages read like a growth chart. In 2011 the farm had eight cowsheds, five farmhands and a herd of about 1,000, which the profile says he had grown from about 100 over roughly ten years by building a new cowshed almost every year.

By the 2015 profile there were nine cowsheds, nine staff in a two-shift system watching the cattle day and night, and up to 50 Tajima cows going to market each month. By 2017 the farm had 13 cowsheds, about 1,600 cows and ten staff. Where numbers differ between pages, the later page reflects later growth.

How does Ohta Farm raise Tajima cattle?

Several routines recur in the profiles. The sheds have high ceilings and large fans to keep cows comfortable in summer and the floors dry. Ohta notes that Tajima cows tolerate cold well but are vulnerable to heat, and the fans date back about 30 years. In 2011 he said he fed a special blend developed through repeated research, though the page gives no recipe.

Health watching is constant. He called daily health management the hardest part of raising cattle, and said Tajima cattle are more delicate than other breeds, so early signs of poor condition must be caught fast. In 2011 he chose new purchases himself at local sales. In 2017 he still checked the cows at 7 a.m. with staff, fed them and cleaned the sheds.

Why does breeding at the farm matter?

The 2015 profile says the farm added 120 female breeding cows and specialized breeding staff as calf prices rose and fewer calves came to market, a move toward breeding, fattening and marketing under one roof. By 2017 about 150 pregnant cows were waiting to calve.

The 2017 profile adds that he saw protecting Tajima cattle as purebred seedstock as an important priority, because their numbers are declining. That makes the farm a keeper of a bloodline as well as a beef producer.

The Key to Ohta's Success

The profiles show steady work more than any single stroke. His own public statements stress care for the cattle and honest use of the Kobe Beef name.

A note on limits: the pages give no figures on revenue or cost, so nothing is claimed about the finances of the expansion.

  • He expanded in steps, building a new cowshed almost every year over about ten years, per the 2011 profile.
  • He kept close watch on the cattle, with night and day shifts and early checks every morning.
  • He designed for the climate, with high ceilings and fans to protect Tajima cows from summer heat.
  • He moved toward integrated operations, adding breeding cows and breeding staff in 2015.
  • He tied quality to reputation, saying the farm must not serve meat that is Kobe Beef in name only.

Kobe Meat Cattle Show awards

Ohta received the Distinction Award at the Kyorei Kai Kobe Meat Cattle Show in 2011, 2015 and 2017. The 2017 profile says the win that year, which also took the top prize in the cow category, was a record fourth Distinction Award for the farm, and calls it the most awarded farm. The 2011 page also reports a string of A5-12 awards, the highest rank possible.

The farm kept producing A5-12 grade Kobe Beef in 2017. The page also records his hope of serving quality beef to foreign visitors around the Tokyo Olympics. To explore more beef culture, see the ranching stories on farm.FM or read a farm.FM story about Kobe beef.

Timeline

  1. YouthJoins the family farm at 18, when it has about 100 cows
  2. 2011Farm has eight cowsheds and about 1,000 head; wins Distinction Award at Kyorei Kai
  3. 2015Nine cowsheds and about nine staff; adds 120 breeding cows; wins Distinction Award
  4. 201713 cowsheds, about 1,600 cows, ten staff
  5. 2017Wins Distinction Award and top cow prize; record fourth Distinction Award for the farm

Frequently asked questions

Who is Ohta Katsunori?

He is the president of Ohta Farm in Hyogo's Tajima district, a second-generation cattle farmer who grew the family herd from about 100 cows to roughly 1,600 and supplies Kobe Beef.

What awards has Ohta Farm won?

The farm won the Distinction Award at the Kyorei Kai Kobe Meat Cattle Show in 2011, 2015 and 2017. The 2017 profile calls the 2017 win a record fourth Distinction Award for the farm.

How big is Ohta Farm?

In 2017 it had 13 cowsheds, about 1,600 cows and ten staff, as reported in the Kobe Beef producer profile. In 2011 it had eight cowsheds and about 1,000 head.

Why does Ohta protect Tajima seedstock?

He says Tajima cattle numbers are declining, so keeping them as purebred seedstock is an important priority for the farm and for the future of Kobe Beef.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

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