Basic Information on Introducing Companies
Company Name: Shinomiya Farm
Number of employees: 1
Yield: 6 tons (1,200 m2)
Farmland area (strawberries): 1,200 m2
Product purchase date｜Type:
June 2020｜Orgamin 5L
January 2021｜Orgamin 10L
September 2021｜Orgamin 10L
February 2022｜Orgamin 10L
Product use location: 1-6 Minamisawa, Higashikurume-shi, Tokyo 203-0023
Crops: strawberries, melons, grapes, mangoes, corn, etc.
Main customers: JA Tokyo Mirai
Subject: Increasing Yield
SNS: Instagram

Basic information on interviewees

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka：When did Mr. Shinomiya start growing strawberries?

Shinomiya：I started growing strawberries in my late thirties, and this year will be my twentieth year. In my first year, I didn't know what I was doing, so I bought seedlings and started growing strawberries, and in my second year, I started from seedling production, but I made a big mistake when half of the seedlings I produced turned out to have anthracnose.

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: How did you rebuild after experiencing failure?

Mr. Shinomiya：Just as I was thinking, "I need to study this thoroughly," an article in an agricultural newspaper caught my eye, "Mashiko Strawberry Complex to be held from today," which led me to Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture. While picking strawberries in a greenhouse at the strawberry farm, I took a tour of the greenhouses, and one sparkling, well-managed greenhouse caught my eye. When I asked the lady in the greenhouse if she could teach me how to grow seedlings for strawberry production in Tokyo, she replied, "There is no need to grow strawberries in Tokyo. She was turned away by the lady and told, "You don't need to grow strawberries in Tokyo, it's too much work.

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: It's not so easy...

Ms. Shinomiya：Yes. But I thought it would be a waste to just go home, so I was sitting alone at a direct sales place in Mashiko Town when a man happened to walk by and said to me, "Strawberry picking is over now. I told him what had happened so far, and he said, "Did you disinfect them properly? I told him that I had not disinfected the area enough. When I asked him to teach me how to grow strawberries, he said, "Can you come? You", I told him, "I will! I told him. While we were talking like that, an auntie came walking from the other side. She said, "Hey, what's that? I thought, "She looks like the auntie I saw earlier," and she said, "Dad, let's go home now. I knew it was the auntie I had talked to earlier at the house. She said to me, "You're still here, aren't you? In the meantime, the old man said, "I'll listen to what you have to say, so come to my house..." (laugh). I thought I had met a really good person. From that moment on, I started commuting to Mashiko Town. It costs a lot of money to drive on the highway, so I took the expressway to Mashiko. I have known this producer for about 18 years.

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka：Can you tell us what you liked about the actual strawberry training program in Mashiko Town, Tochigi Prefecture?

Ms. Shinomiya：I think it is the amount of information available. Of course, there are dissemination centers and other information sources in Tokyo as well. However, it sometimes takes about a week to get an answer after submitting homework.... If that is the case, I think it would be better to learn directly in Tochigi Prefecture, a major strawberry production area, to obtain a large amount of information. In fact, I sometimes received thick pamphlets of strawberry workshops in Tochigi Prefecture from growers (laughs).

In fact, young prospective farmers from Tokyo who want to become strawberry growers are now coming to our farm for training. I am teaching them my know-how and techniques without having to go to Tochigi Prefecture. I teach them everything, from seedling cultivation to everything from 1 to 10. I want them to become real strawberry farmers. I think that is my role. I tell them, "Start with soil cultivation. After about three years of soil cultivation, they should decide whether they want to switch to upland cultivation when they have a certain degree of understanding of the cultivation method. This is because the cost of equipment for upland cultivation is high, and once you start, it is difficult to stop. With soil cultivation, you can stop even in the middle of cultivation. That is why we recommend soil cultivation as a first step. Now, little by little, the number of strawberry farmers is increasing in the west, starting from our farm. I would like to increase the number of strawberry farmers as much as possible while I am involved in strawberry cultivation.

Commitment to strawberry cultivation

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka：Mr. Shinomiya, please tell us what you are particular about in strawberry cultivation.

Regarding the use of foliar sprays
Mr. Shinomiya：If strawberries have 10 jobs, only about one-tenth of them is harvesting. Nine-tenths of the work, which accounts for the majority of the work, is how much time and effort is spent on the seedlings. Therefore, the fact that the plants look healthy now is not because I used a foliar spray (Organamine). It is the result of good care of the plants. Raking leaves is especially important to prevent mites and other insect pests and powdery mildew from appearing. This work can be further improved by applying a foliar spray of Organamine as an added bonus. Of course, foliar spraying will not help if the plants are not well managed.

This is what we have found in our experience so far. If a foliar spray including organomin is applied while the plants are not yet in fruit or flower, the plants will "stand up" so well that you can see it with your own eyes. However, once the fruits appear, the plant will send more and more nutrients to the fruits, and you will not be able to tell whether the foliar spray is working or not. But I am convinced that it is actually working. I think that many farmers are not aware that it is actually working. Therefore, when using a single foliar spray, we recommend that you first use and evaluate it continuously for at least three years.

Regarding disinfection (chemical spraying)
Mr. Shinomiya：I believe that the most important thing in strawberry cultivation is the amount of disinfectant used, both in seedling cultivation and in seedling production. In ordinary strawberry cultivation, spraying is usually done from only one direction, but I spray from the opposite direction as well. I make the plants look like they are piled up, so that the chemical solution is applied from 360 degrees, and I also make sure that some of the chemical solution soaks into the soil. The cultivation area is 1,200 m2, and I use a maximum of 500 L of chemical solution. The reason why we use such a large amount is because we do not want to have to "add labor" to spray again after a short period of disease or insect infestation. We start with 300 liters at the beginning of planting, and gradually increase the spray volume as the foliage becomes thicker and the flowers bloom, due to thistle infestation concerns. When spraying along the aisle, the amount of spray can be increased by slowing down the speed at which you walk. Pesticide spraying is a very labor-intensive job. Therefore, it is very important how effective a single disinfection is. Even with such a thorough chemical spraying, pests may still occur in some areas, but we respond by applying a pneumatic gate sealant only to those areas. In conclusion, we have been able to prevent pests and diseases with this management until mid-April.

Regarding cultivation systems
Mr. Shinomiya：Our farm uses an elevated cultivation system. A hot-soaking tube system is built in, which is activated when the soil temperature drops below 15°C (59°F). In Tochigi Prefecture and other production areas, electric lighting is used to accelerate leaf development in order to produce the third flower as early as possible, but this has the disadvantage of causing the trees to grow longer. This makes disinfection more difficult later on. I feel that the advantage of the warm-rise tube system is that it eliminates the need for electric irradiation. In the case of the warm tube system, flower buds are produced continuously, so the plants are easily fatigued. In this situation, the use of ORGAMIN improves plant fatigue and increases yield.

Regarding strawberry yields
Mr. Shinomiya：Our farm produces three packets of strawberries per plant, so when multiplied by the 6,000 plants we have in the field, we get a yield of about 6 tons.

Regarding the quality of strawberries
Mr. Shinomiya：Our farm's strawberries are characterized by producing large, well-shaped berries. Strawberry production areas ship strawberries in a slightly white state (they cannot be shipped fully ripe) due to transportation problems, but our advantage is that we can ship them in a fully ripe state, making them sweet and delicious.

Background of Introduction

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: Why did you decide to introduce OrganMin?

Mr. Shinomiya：I happened to be searching YouTube and the Internet and came across a producer who recommended a liquid fertilizer named "Organamine," and I was impressed by his comment that "Organamine has a rather foul odor. I thought there must be a reason for the smell, so I investigated and found out that the liquid fertilizer was made from fish. I had been interested in using fish in agriculture for some time, and I knew of an example of a tangerine farmer in Kyushu who was using seaweed powder, which is from the sea, so I thought that something from the sea might be good for crops, which led me to contact Seiko Ecologia.

How to use

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: Can you tell us how to use Orgamin?

Mr. Shinomiya：At first, we used only foliar spray. However, strawberries are exhausted when they produce a series of balls, which causes plant fatigue, so we are now using not only foliar spraying, but also irrigation with Organamine at 1,500 times in addition to the liquid fertilizer we normally use. We are now also mixing Organamine at 1,000 times with all chemical sprays. We are trying to increase the effect by double application from the top (leaves) and the bottom (roots).

Effects of Introduction


Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: Can you tell us what you like about Orgamin?

Mr. Shinomiya：We have been using it for strawberry cultivation for more than a year now, and we are feeling a certain effect. And this year, although it has been cold and the cost of fuel oil has been high, the yield has been uninterrupted, which has been a great help. The leaves of strawberry plants, in particular, are getting smaller and smaller, as they lose nutrients when they bear fruit. However, as I touch the leaves every day, I can see that they are not getting smaller. Also, the tree stands differently, forming a V shape. And the leaf flesh becomes thicker and stiffer. I feel that the stiffness of the leaves will last for about 10 days. I mentioned earlier that the plant should be disinfected in such a way that the chemical solution is applied firmly from 360 degrees by toppling the plant over like building blocks. I feel that these effects are clearly different compared to before the use of organomin. Of course, I believe that these effects are not all due to the power of Organamine, but to the time and effort I put into the daily management of the plants. As for the sugar content, I cannot say that it has increased.

And since Organamine contains almost no nitrogen, phosphate, or potassium, it can easily be added to regular fertilizer management, making it a very easy-to-use liquid fertilizer. I think it is also suitable for vegetables grown in plastic greenhouses, such as tomatoes.

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: Can you tell us what is not good about Orgamin?

I feel the price is a little high. However, on the other hand, I think there is a reason for the high price. I wish I could use it more effectively and easily. Therefore, I think I can use it a lot if the unit price is lowered a little more... (laughs).

For those who are considering introducing

Seiko Ecologia Mitsuoka: What is your message to those who are considering introducing Orgamin?

Mr. Shinomiya：As I have told you many times, the basic premise of using organomin is to use it after doing a good job of daily management. Also, please note that if you use Organamine during the period when the fruit does not bear, you can see the effect, but when the fruit does bear, it seems as if the effect is not apparent. I would like to continue to use Organomin for the next three years to confirm its effectiveness, and after three years, I would like to publicize to my strawberry and grape friends that I am using such a good material.