The Chinn couple, owners of Cobley Farms, one of the largest asparagus farms in the UK, visited the School of Agriculture, Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory (Professor MOTOKI Satoru) on May 20 to exchange information on the introduction of a new asparagus cultivation method called whole harvest cultivation*1 developed by the laboratory.
Cobley Farms is a historic farm established in Herefordshire, UK, in 1925. The total area is over 2000 hectares, of which over 1000 hectares are used for asparagus cultivation.
The Chinns visited Japan with the aim of introducing Japanese asparagus cultivation methods to their farm in the UK. They visited the Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory and several producers, including those in Kyushu and the Tokai regions, who are engaged in greenhouse semi-forced long-term harvesting cultivation.*2
*1 Whole harvest cultivation: The official name is “whole harvest cultivation method of one-year-old plants,” and it is the world’s first crop rotation method for asparagus using one-year harvests.
*2 Semi-forced long-term harvesting cultivation: A cultivation method in which harvesting is continued for about 10 years from spring to autumn every year
Professor MOTOKI and the Chinn couple
Prior to visiting the laboratory, on May 19, FUTAMI Mona (first-year master’s student) and YANAGISAWA Tatsuki (fourth-year undergraduate student) from the Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory visited two asparagus producers in Shizuoka Prefecture together with Mr. and Mrs. Chinn and representatives from Sanatech Seed Co.,Ltd., a joint research partner in the whole harvest cultivation project, to exchange information on asparagus cultivation methods in Japan.
At the first stop, Bell Farm Co., Ltd., they observed the company’s advanced asparagus cultivation methods, which utilize a new cultivation method called frame plate-type high-ridge cultivation, a labor-saving and stable production technology developed by Kagawa Prefecture. At the second farm, Passios Ltd. Uemura Farm, they observed semi-forced long-term harvesting cultivation using large-scale greenhouses, followed by observing the sorting facilities.
On May 20, Mr. and Mrs. Chinn visited the Ikuta Campus. After explaining about whole harvest cultivation, Professor MOTOKI guided the Chinns with two students from the Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory around the cultivation fields on the Ikuta Campus.
During the subsequent information exchange meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Chinn introduced the current state of asparagus cultivation in the UK. After discussing the possibility of introducing whole harvest cultivation tailored to the British climate, Mr. and Mrs. Chinn decided to begin trial cultivation in the UK. Concurrently, the university also decided to conduct new cultivation trials simulating the UK climate.
The Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory is planning to visit Cobley Farms in the summer of 2026. It is hoped that this visit will further promote exchange between the UK and Japan through the whole harvest cultivation.
At the first stop, Bell Farm Co., Ltd., they observed the company’s advanced asparagus cultivation methods, which utilize a new cultivation method called frame plate-type high-ridge cultivation, a labor-saving and stable production technology developed by Kagawa Prefecture. At the second farm, Passios Ltd. Uemura Farm, they observed semi-forced long-term harvesting cultivation using large-scale greenhouses, followed by observing the sorting facilities.
On May 20, Mr. and Mrs. Chinn visited the Ikuta Campus. After explaining about whole harvest cultivation, Professor MOTOKI guided the Chinns with two students from the Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory around the cultivation fields on the Ikuta Campus.
During the subsequent information exchange meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Chinn introduced the current state of asparagus cultivation in the UK. After discussing the possibility of introducing whole harvest cultivation tailored to the British climate, Mr. and Mrs. Chinn decided to begin trial cultivation in the UK. Concurrently, the university also decided to conduct new cultivation trials simulating the UK climate.
The Vegetable Horticulture Laboratory is planning to visit Cobley Farms in the summer of 2026. It is hoped that this visit will further promote exchange between the UK and Japan through the whole harvest cultivation.
The cultivation fields on the Ikuta Campus