Staff Information

Name:

Takafumi GOTOH

Job Title:

Professor

E-mail:

gotoh@fsc.hokudai.ac.jp

URL:

https://sites.google.com/view/gotolab-hokudai/%E3%83%9B%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A0home

Summary:

Cattle are herbivores that play a vital role in material cycling by breaking down and absorbing plant fibers that humans cannot digest, and converting them into protein sources such as meat and milk for human consumption. Cattle are essentially bioreactors. However, current beef production faces numerous challenges that require fundamental transformation. These include economic difficulties caused by the heavy reliance on increasingly expensive imported feed, issues related to manure management, food safety concerns such as BSE, a market structure rigidly focused on highly marbled beef, and growing demands for improved animal welfare. At the same time, Japan faces its own structural challenges, including mountainous terrain, abandoned agricultural land, and the expansion of depopulated rural communities. Nevertheless, these regions are rich in plant resources. Based on the emerging concept of metabolic programming, we are developing livestock production systems that apply epigenetics to regulate cattle metabolism from an early stage. This approach is combined with grazing systems that utilize Japan’s abundant plant resources as feed. In addition, we are advancing research on livestock management using cutting-edge ICT, space-based technologies, and AI. On the distribution side, we are exploring the development of ethical direct marketing systems. Through these integrated efforts, we aim to redesign beef production systems from a systems-design perspective, fostering a livestock industry in which young farmers can find hope for the future and compete globally as a sustainable and innovative sector.

Keywords:

Molecular biology, Mammal, Microbe, Plant, Data Science, Field work, Labo work, Remote Sensing, (Sub) Boreal, (Sub) Tropical, (Sub) Alpine, Forest, Farmland, Soil, Terrestrial, Anatomy, Grassland Science, Livestock Management Science, Meat Science, Morphology, Nutritional Physiology