Celebrating our industry

WagyuEdge '23 - one of the best of all time

Without any doubt, the Wagyu Industry dinner which marked the end of this year’s conference was one of the greatest events I have ever attended. The energy in the room was palpable, as 600 people enjoyed a stunning entrée from Rangers Valley and then feasted on a magnificent tomahawk from Mayura, before dancing the night away. What a celebration of our industry to share such amazing food in the company of so many good people. It truly was the perfect finish to a fantastic conference. From my perspective this conference was made extra special with the addition of so many overseas members. After a few years of COVID enforced absence, it was a wonderful to see so many in attendance, it certainly adds to the overall experience of the event.

My most sincere thanks to all the speakers who presented at our conference, the diversity of insight shared was exceptional. Our industry is not without our share of challenges, but it is encouraging to see the work that is being done to overcome these challenges and capitalise on opportunities. Thank you also to our sponsors; we are always most grateful for your generous support, and especially appreciative in this tightening economic environment. I must also extend my thanks and congratulations to our CEO and all the AWA staff who delivered yet another outstanding event –and look forward to seeing you outdo it next year!

Wagyu Feeder Check

I was very proud to watch our CEO announce the release of the Wagyu Feeder Check at the Conference. This marked the end of a two-year project with CSIRO and Neogen to deliver a commercialised DNA genomic test for Wagyu cattle to help identify low genetic merit/unprofitable Wagyu F1 and Wagyu content animals early, and then feed them accordingly. It also provides a platform through which all commercial cattle breeders can provide carcase data to support our Wagyu genetic analysis.

Like many members with crossbreed calves, our family business just submitted our first 430 samples into the Wagyu Feeder Check program. Being able to use commercial cattle to accurately progeny test registered sires and then submit this data into BREEDPLAN will exponentially increase the capacity to identify high and low performing sires. With other breeders now doing Wagyu Feeder Check testing, I am optimistic that the number of sires in the next three years with recorded carcase data will be many times greater than it is today. This will include sires that are known to perform well in commercial industry, but have not had the opportunity for have DNA tested progeny data recorded for them previously.

AWA-Progeny Test Program

The AWA-PTP has hit another significant milestone with data entering Wagyu BREEDPLAN; results from this cohort of calves are reported in this issue of the magazine. We are also about to commence calving for Cohort 2 of the project, with 42 more sires set to be proven through this process.

For our smaller members who struggle to form contemporary groups and generate data to underpin EBVs for their sires, the PTP is the perfect program to prove up your genetics. If you would like to participate in the next round, please get in touch with the office.

The 2023 AWA-PTP Semen Sale will run in the first week of August and presents members with an opportunity to link their herd to the global reference population. Giving members access to sire genetics that will be proven to high accuracy levels through the AWA-PTP is a core goal of the program.

Final Note

Wishing the 30-odd members who are embarking on a two week tour of USA a wonderful trip and we look forward to an update on your return.

As this financial year comes to an end, I am pleased to report that our company remains in a strong financial state with sound governance practices implemented and used.

Moreover, as we close in on 30,000 Herdbook registrations for the financial year (a 20% increase on last year) it is clear that despite the broader challenges in the beef market, our industry continues to show sustained resilience.

Charlie Perry
AWA President