Hokuryu Town agricultural experience trainees Yoko Kato and Hiroko Kono participated in the melon seedling grafting workshop (led by Yasunori Watanabe at the Uryu Seedling Facility)

Monday, August 24, 2020

On Wednesday, August 19th, a melon grafting training seminar was held at the Uryu Seedling Facility (Uryu Town) sponsored by the Sorachi Agricultural Improvement and Extension Center, Kita-Sorachi Branch (Fukagawa City). The instructor was Yasunori Watanabe (57 years old, Hokuryu Town resident), a Hokkaido agricultural instructor.

Uryu Seedling Facility (Uryu Town)



Melon grafting workshop

Hokuryu Town agricultural experience trainees also participated

Erisa Kaneda, who trained at Yasunori Watanabe Farm and is a new melon farmer, participated as an assistant instructor. The participants were Hiroko Kono and Yoko Kato, two of this year's Hokuryu Town agricultural experience trainees, and three part-time workers from the Uryu Seedling Facility (who work at the Melon Seedling Center in the afternoon), for a total of five people.


Grafting seminars at the Uryu Seedling Center have been held every year for the past three to four years.

Grafting progress observation



The grafting we did last time seems to have taken hold well.

Scenes from the seminar

Guidance from Lecturer Yasunori Watanabe

“When grafting, it’s important to be strict but gentle;

"To trim the stem of the melon, trim both sides below the slightly swollen part at the base," Watanabe explained the important points in detail and carefully, using illustrations to instruct everyone.

Melon grafting

Grafting involves grafting a fruit-bearing melon onto a melon rootstock with strong roots, which allows for healthy, tasty melons to grow that are resistant to soil diseases. It also prevents problems caused by continuous cropping.



1. Pinch the core bud of the rootstock and make a vertical cut from top to bottom from the center of the base of the cotyledons.

2. Slice off a thin strip from both sides of the stem of the melon.

3. Insert the rootstock and secure it with mini clips to join it.

Everyone, have fun and be serious!!!

Yoko Kato, agricultural experience trainee from Hokuryu Town

After the training, we spoke with Yoko Kato (38 years old), a student in the agricultural experience program. Her agricultural experience training started on Sunday, August 9th, and is scheduled to continue until the end of October.

Kato-san is from Sapporo City. He loves skiing and has a first-class ski certification from the SAJ (Ski Association of Japan) and has participated in ski competitions. When he was in elementary school, he went skiing with his family, and it was ski lessons that sparked his love for skiing. Before becoming an intern, he worked in customer service and clerical work.

"After I entered the workforce, it became difficult to balance work and skiing, so I gave up skiing for a while and continued to live a work-centered life for 10 years.

However, I just couldn't give up skiing, and I couldn't suppress the feeling that "I want to live my life around skiing. I don't know when I'll die, so I want to live my life enjoying skiing, which is what I love!"

As I was searching for a new career, I discovered that many skiers were also farmers, but I couldn't quite decide to take the plunge and become a farmer.

It was in this situation that I decided to take part in the "New Farmers and Agricultural Experience Seminar (Sapporo City)" hosted by the Hokkaido Agricultural Leaders Development Center (public corporation) last fall. At the seminar, I learned that various municipalities were preparing to accept new farmers, and that's how I got connected with Hokuryu Town.

After that, I searched the internet and found out that Hokuryu Town has a comprehensive agricultural training program. I also found the feature article on Erisa Kaneda (maiden name Hara) on the Hokuryu Town Portal very helpful.

And after coming to Hokuryu, I really felt like I wanted to live here!" Kato-san said with a lovely smile.

In Hokuryu Town, where the snow is thick in the winter but the town is full of charm, Kato Yoko dreams of spending the rest of her life farming and enjoying her favorite sport, skiing, to the fullest.

With boundless love, gratitude, and prayers, we hope that this agricultural experience program will allow you to fully experience the charm of agriculture in Hokuryu Town through various agricultural experience programs in Hokuryu Town.

Other photos

・Photos (65 photos) from the Melon Seedling Grafting Seminar (Instructor: Yasunori Watanabe @ Uryu Seedling Facility) are available here >>

Related articles and sites

・First shipment of sunflower melons by Erika Kaneda, a new farmer in her first year(August 2, 2019)
・Agricultural next generation human resource investment project: New farmer Erisa Kaneda starts her first year of melon farming @ Yasunori Watanabe Farm(May 14, 2019)
・Hokuryu Town's "Agricultural Experience Training" and Agricultural Experience Accommodation "Uerukaru"(May 7, 2019)
・Hokuryu Melon Producers Association Introduction Page

・Site for starting farming in Hokkaido | Hokkaido Agricultural Leaders Development Center
　

◇ Photography and editing: Noboru Terauchi Interview and text: Ikuko Terauchi