Tokachi Station has the biggest land area (about 4100 ha) among all stations of NLBC which belonged to an Independent Administrative Agency directed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). Tokachi station's major activities are to improve and multiply beef and dairy cattle, horses, sheep, forage crop seed, to develop new technology in livestock industry, to preserve genetic resources for future application and to train overseas and domestic technical trainees.

The station is located at about 18 km north of Obihiro City in the Tokachi plain, overlooking beautiful landscape of Daisetsu Mountains in the far north and Hidaka Mountains in the south. The station site consists of flat and hilly tableland. It contains typical Hokkaido topography with distinctive climatic differences over four seasons. The first frost comes early October while the late won't go away until middle of May. Snow falls relatively light and annual precipitation amount is at the level of 950mm.

The total land area is approximately 4,100 ha (40.998k㎡), of which about 230 ha occupies structural site, 1,300 ha is cultivated field for forage crop production, 230 ha is assigned for forage crop seed production, and the rest area composes grazing pasture, forest, roads, rivers, marsh and so on.

1910 :Tokachi National Studhorse Farm was established at the present location and started to produce studhorses.
1923 :The name was changed to Tokachi National Studhorse Station and its main task was changed into mating services for East Hokkaido Areas.
1941 :Hokkaido Studhorse Raising Station was established in the present location.
1946 :The both organizations were united into Tokachi National Livestock Breeding Station.
1952 :Seed Production Division was added
1959 :Beef Cattle Production and Improvement Division was added.
1968 : Basic Seed Testing Division was added.
1971 : Farming Technology Division was added.
1982 : Accounting Division was added.
1990 : The Station renamed National Livestock Breeding Center Tokachi Station.
1991 : Farming Technology Division was abolished, and then Waiting Bull Raising Division was added.
2001 : Shifted to Incorporated Administration Agency by the organization revision, and reorganized into 7divisions from 9 divisions.
2010 The 100th anniversary of the founding

Dairy bull 100 head, Beef cattle 750 head, Horse 220 head, Sheep 100 head

Director General
- - Deputy Director General
- - General Affairs Div.(general affair, personnel, accounting, expenditure)
- - Livestock Breeding 1st Sec. (beef cattle and new technology development)
- - Livestock Breeding 2nd Sec. (dairy bull, horse and sheep)
- - Grassland & Feed Sec.(forage crop production, manure and compost processing, forage crop seed inspection)
- - Animal Hygiene Sec. (animal disease prevention and production medicine)
- - Seed & Saplings Sec. (forage crop seed production)
- - Senior Officer for Breeding Technology

About 750 beef cattle are kept this station, and, as for main activity is stud bull development which considered reservation of the genetic diversity and increase body characteristics other than the beef quality that is the characteristic of the Japanese Black Cattle. In addition, for effective genetic improvement, we makes active use of advanced technologies such as the production of identical twins by bisection of embryo, the ovum pick up (OPU), and the in-vitro fertilization (IVF).

Under the breeding plan conducted by NLBC, many calves are born at Iwate station. Tokachi Station has the role of bringing up candidate bulls. We gather male calves (about 7-8 months old) from Iwate station, and bring them up until we get their progeny test results. During the waiting period, we collect their semen, make frozen semen, and store them. Proven Sires are selected out of them according to their progeny test results. Now there are about 100 heads of bulls in this station.
Before the selection, we transfer bulls and their semen to Niikappu Station, NLBC, which is in Hokkaido, too. Proven Sires are selected at Niikappu Station. After that, their frozen semen is utilized to improve dairy cows all over Japan.

Our station is the sole national horse breeding ranch in Japan. Aims of horse breeding are stressed for draft purpose and riding horse.
1) heavy draft horse
Breed : Percheron, Breton
Aim: Improved performance of draft power and meat production.
2) Riding horse
Breed : Arab
Aim : Improvement of riding horse that is comfortable for a beginner.

Our station is the sole national sheep breeding ranch in Japan. Breeding of sheep are promoted, improving meat production.
Breed : Suffolk
Aim : Improved performance of meat production, reproduction and feed efficiency.

Genetic improvement of forage crop is carried by domestic agricultural research organizations. Forage crop seeds that are harvested in those stations are to be multiplied at NLBC. And then, the multiplied seed is to be propagated again on a large scale in foreign countries. (e.g. U.S.A)
Tokachi station supplies seed of timothy, alfalfa and so on. (9 cultivars, 23 strains)
In addition, seed that supplied to foreign country is tested by O.E.C.D seed certification system.

Valuable ｉndividual gene should be kept for breeding in the future. We preserve Japanese native horses (6 breeds) as the animal gene resources and vegetative forage crops (4 cultivars, 198 strains) as the plant gene resources.

1) Artificial Breeding Control of Sheep
Although the general breeding method of sheep is natural mating, practical use of artificial insemination is desired for effective improvement of ability.
In our station, investigation of the practical artificial insemination method which farmers can use easily is conducted.

2) Ear corn silage
Ear corn silage (ECS) is ensiled corn kernels, cobs, silks and husks and a novel domestic concentrate feed that potentially substitutes for imported grain feeds. Together with researchers of several organizations in Hokkaido, such as Hokkaido Agricultural Research Center, have been developing utilization methods for ECS. In this Station, we have been making a research into ECS utilization for beef cattle to confirm the efficacy in practice as a substitute for imported flaked corn.

Forage production area is about 1,380 ha (include 438ha grazing land). High quality hay and grass silage are produced efficiently by using high-performance machinery.

To produce and provide healthy clean animals, we operate 3 main jobs.
1)Disease Prevention measures
To protect our livestock from various infectious disease by use of vaccination, disinfection, and quarantine

2)Medical treatment
To save life of livestock from hard labor (dystocia), injury, severe illness, etc.

3)Advice and instruction
To keep animal in health by improving feeding management, raising conditions, barn environment, etc.

Both domestic and foreign trainees are accepted every year. The latter are received from developing countries through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). They learn current technology of feeding management, breeding, artificial insemination, embryo transfer, forage production, harvesting, and manure processing e.t.c.
In addition, experts will be dispatched to developing countries for international technical cooperation.

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