Pig farms produce pig waste every day. It is natural for living things to take nutrients from food and excrete. The only problem is how to handle the excrement. Will it be treated as waste or will it be reused as a resource? Either way, it will cost you.

Building a Flow for Utilizing Resources

Ark Tategamori has been exploring recycling-oriented agriculture from the beginning. We collect not only pig excrement from pig farms, but also raw garbage from the manufacturing process at restaurants and ham factories, and turn it into organic fertilizer. In addition to using the fertilizer in our own fields, it is also used by neighboring farmers.
The wheat and vegetables harvested in the fields are used in the cooking at restaurants on the ranch, in the production of steamed pork buns, bread and sweets, and also delivered to customers through direct sales outlets and mail order.
This trend is the form of circular agriculture that we have realized. We are establishing sustainable agriculture through effective use of resources.

The land of Ark Tategamori was developed by cutting down trees as a national farmland development project in the 1980s.
However, it was a desert-like land full of clayey soil, with no nutrients for field soil. That's when we met this land.

Everything starts with soil preparation

The vast land of 100 hectares that the founder had the desire to "revive Japanese agriculture and pass it on to the next generation as a dream industry". I was at a loss at first because it was not suitable for growing crops as it was.
But things seem to be thinking. The fact that it has never been used for agriculture means that it is a virgin land where no pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used.
I made up my mind, "If we have a beautiful field, let's make use of it for agriculture," and started by preparing the soil. That was the beginning of organic farming using compost made from pig excrement.

believe in the power of nature

Nanbu wheat from Iwate was the first to grow. While building the soil, we gradually expanded to the cultivation of herbs and vegetables. Since we still do not use pesticides, there are many active microorganisms in the fields, and we have received approval from research institutions.

Thoughts on pesticide-free cultivation

Pesticide-free cultivation takes time and effort anyway. Weeds are the biggest problem. About 10 hectares of wheat field, which is equivalent to two Tokyo Domes, is weeded every early summer by all the staff in the early morning. There have been many times when I regretfully mowed a field that was overwhelmed by weeds and could not be harvested.
Pesticide-free cultivation does not increase yields as much as common cultivation methods. However, it can be transformed into wheat bread, steamed pork buns, and sweets that you can eat with peace of mind.
While envisioning the smiles of everyone who will be happy, I am working hard every day with a strong feeling.

When we first arrived in the Tategamori area, the lush green mountains had disappeared due to agricultural land development, and the scenery was like a wasteland of red soil. Seeing this, the founder decided, "Let's plant 210,000 trees here by the 21st century!"

Creating a garden of healing and inspiration

Over 30 years of tree planting activities have resulted in a variety of flowering trees such as azaleas, kobushi, magnolias, cherry blossoms, plums, yamaboshi, sanshuyu, fir, maple, and dodan. Color the four seasons. In addition, there is the Kaoru Kaze Garden, which consists of three areas for lavender, roses, and herbs; There are hills, etc., and they provide healing and excitement to people who visit Ark Tategamori.