Reflecting on our journey

A big thank you to our breed's pioneers and early adopters laying the foundations for such sustained and dramatic growth.

As we go to print with this edition of the magazine, we are getting ready to catch up with many of you in Sydney at our WagyuEdge'23 Conference and Tour. I sincerely believe our annual conference is one of the top global red meat industry events and based on the schedule of speakers and functions, I expect this year will deliver another informative and enjoyable experience for delegates.

Every organisation has those milestones that, when reached, forces you to reflect on the journey to date. Last month we welcomed our 1001st full member! To all our breed's pioneers and early adopters, I extend our thanks for laying the foundations for such sustained and dramatic growth. Membership of this size is a significant endorsement of the work this company is delivering, and to all the staff who makes this possible, I thank you.

Wagyu Feeder Check

The Wagyu Feeder Check tool results from 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 on and eliminate these from long-fed programs.

Throughout the final stages of testing, this tool has delivered some outstanding results in its power to discriminate between groups of animals for marbling, carcase weight, fat depth and eye muscle area. We are excited to launch the Wagyu Feeder Check at the WagyuEdge'23.

I sincerely believe this tool will significantly contribute to supporting our industry's profitability and sustainability.

WagyuEdge'23 Conference

The WagyuEdge'23 Conference and Tour are upon us, with our best-ever program organised by the AWA Team. Over the three-day program, we will hear from Australian and international thought leaders and experts across several topics, along with leading Wagyu breeders and supply chains on their operations, successes and learnings from years of producing a luxury product.

The post-conference regional NSW tour will see us visit three Wagyu operations: Kuro Kin Wagyu, a leading producer of Fullblood Wagyu and F1 Wagyu, Bald Ridge Wagyu, specialising in fullblood black and red Wagyu and Gooree Park Mudgee, a producer of Wagyu, thoroughbreds and wine.

AWA Progeny Test Program (PTP)

Calving for Cohort one of the AWA-PTP has now finished. A significant milestone will see data starting to come into the system, some of which is reported in this issue. We are also well underway in our Cohort 2 AI program, with 70 sires used across 2,000 Fullblood breeders to date.

At our February 2023 Board meeting, the Board approved implementing an F1 AWA-PTP progeny strategy to amplify the outcomes of the AWA-PTP for sire contributors significantly.

Starting in 2023/24, we will be able to include large numbers of F1 progeny through AI programs alongside Fullblood progeny. This will lift EBV accuracy to above 90% for carcase and growth traits and deliver outstanding value to our future AWA-PTP sire contributors.

For our smaller members who struggle to form contemporary groups and generate data to underpin EBVs for their sires, I ask that you consider nominating a sire for the AWA-PTP to prove your genetics and link your herd more strongly to the AWA's global genetic database.

Final Note

As the AWA continues to grow to support the thriving global Wagyu Sector, seeing our company mature and consolidate is pleasing. We continue to welcome many new members from Australia and overseas as our membership numbers climb to more than 1,000.

A core strategy of our growth has been to engage all breeders worldwide to help promote breed development, expand our gene pool, identify leading genetic diversity and prove those genetics for the commercial performance traits we rely on day in and day-out. I look forward to meeting many of you in Sydney for our WagyuEdge'23 event.

Charlie Perry AWA President

Editorial Emily Rabone − emily@wagyu.org.au

Contributors

Charlie Perry, Dr Matt McDonagh, Eleanor McNaught, Jon Condon and Eric Barker.

Design/Advertising

Heather Frazier − heather@squishcreative.com

Print Lighthouse Print Group (Printed using soy vegetablebased inks with alcohol free solutions. The magazine is fully recyclable and printed in Australia).

Publisher/Distributor

Australian Wagyu Association communications@wagyu.org.au

Disclaimer

All content subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission. Opinions expressed in The Wagyu Quarterly Update are not necessarily those of the Association. Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of any product or service by the magazine or the association, nor support any claims by the advertisers. Every effort is made to ensure information contained in this magazine is correct at the time of publishing.