Web wagyuupdate issue 66 by Australian Wagyu Association

UPDATE

TH E AUSTRALIAN

WAGYU

Vol. 66 The Wagyu industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier trade magazine produced by the Australian Wagyu Association www.wagyu.org.au September 2017

t h i n Wa gyu Gr owREGISTRATIONS INCREASE FASTER THAN ANY OTHER BREED IN AUSTRALIA

INSIDE ....

No. 1

STEAK IN THE

WORLD

No. 1

STEAK IN THE

WORLD

MAYDAN

FEEDLOT

WARWICK QLD

custom feeding specialists

our results for themselves Geoff Willett (owner) phone 07 4661 9600 mobile 0408 716 960 fax 07 4661 9601 email geoff@maydan.com.au

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Maydan Feedlot is a privately owned business specialising in tailor made rations to suit all markets. Our speciality is our expertise in long-term custom feeding of Wagyu cattle. Our major advantages are our perfect climate for long-term feeding and our close proximity to major abattoirs. We also offer livestock transport at competitive prices. l l

EU accredited Japanese Wagyu feeding regime specialists

Maydan Feedlot (office) phone 07 4667 4785 website maydan.com.au

CONTENTS 12 13 16 18 18 20 22 25 32

41 47 47 49

Production set to double What is the role of genetics in a modern Australian beef industry Feedlot trail highlights Wagyu value Wagyu bull sell online for $88,000 Heifers average $3375 at Wagyu Premium Sale DNA technologies - genetic progress to be 'supercharged' Wagyu growth open 'flying herd' concept Hall of fame status for Wagyu pioneer Grand Championship to Tajima Wagyu Branded Beef Competition winners announced What should I breed F1, F2,F3 or more - industry leaders answer the questions Understanding the importance of EBVs 2017 charity auction makes $21,450 Australian record set at Elite Wagyu Sale Investor funds Wagyu operation

THE

AWA CONFERENCE & TOUR

2-6 MAY 2018

MACKAY

Publisher THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU ASSOCIATION (AWA) office@wagyu.org.au 02 6773 3355 Consulting Editor GEOFF PHILLIPS geoffphi@ozemail.com.au 0411 413 599 Contributing Writers PETER GILMOUR, Dr. MATT McDONAGH, GEOFF PHILLIPS, CAREL TESELING, JAMES WAGSTAFF, SHAN GOODWIN JAMES NASON AND JACINTA BOLSENBROEK Art Direction HEATHER FRAZIER heather@squishcreative.com 0432 949 764

ON THE COVER The Lewis family farm located on Gwydir River flats. The Jac Wagyu herd is based on the high marbling Tajima lines. The Australian Wagyu Update magazine is printed by Litho Art on paper stock derived from sustainable forests that are managed to ensure their renewability and preserve natural eco-systems for generations to come. All content is subject to copyright and may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission from the publisher.

GENERAL ENQUIRIES AWA Marketing and Communications Manager GEOFF PHILLIPS geoffphi@ozemail.com.au

0411 413 599

Opinions expressed in The Australian Wagyu Update magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers. 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.

AWA Chief Executive Officer Dr. MATT McDONAGH office@wagyu.org.au

02 6773 3355

CONNECT WITH US

Wagyu Update advertising enquiries HEATHER FRAZIER heather@squishcreative.com 0432 949 764

www.wagyu.org.au twitter.com/AustWagyuAssoc www.facebook.com/AustralianWagyuAssociation

FAMILY OWNED AUSTRALIAN COMPANY

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THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

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THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

president

PETER GILMOUR

THE WAGYU EDGE

The AWA 2017 Annual Conference in Albury was a great success with some 480 registered delegates with the theme of ‘Wagyu Expansion - Transforming the Australian Beef Industry’ was embraced by many new participants seeking information about the Wagyu industry. Thank you to the many members that have assisted these new participants and a genuine warm welcome to our many new members of the AWA. The AWA Board has been busy throughout the first half of 2017/18 with the employment and induction process of our new CEO Dr Matt McDonagh. We farewelled Graham Truscott on the 30th June and sincerely thanked him on behalf of the Board and all Members for his dedication, sincerity and enthusiastic interest that he brought to the AWA. It has been an extraordinary few years of expansion from two staff with around 3000 Registrations per year to our staff of now 5 full-time positions, 5 part-time sub-contracted positions and around 13,000 Registrations per year. Matt has really benefitted from the 3 months of CEO and Assisting CEO overlap to ensure a full understanding of the projects on hand and prepare his first annual budget and business plan. We have approved the Annual AWA Business Plan for 2017/18 and continue to maintain an active Board Action List of items requiring both Board Sub-Committee review and eventually full Board review for consideration. Considerable board and CEO effort has gone into developing a revised association constitution to bring it in line with the Corporations Act. This amended constitution will be presented with the papers for the AGM for member consideration. The new constitution has been drafted to be as close as possible to the same words and intent as the previous constitution.

in 1989. At this time the Companies Code applied, which was replaced firstly with the Corporations Law and then in 2001 with the Commonwealth Corporations Act. Because of this, the drafting of the M&A may contemplate transactions and procedures which are no longer current and may be prohibited. 2. The M&A uses outdated terminology which may cause interpretation of its terms difficult when legislation no longer uses those terms. A clear example of this is referring to the board as a ‘Council’ and directors as ‘Council members’. This also may confuse younger members who are likely to be more familiar with the terms ‘director’ and ‘board’. 3. The adoption of a new constitution is a valuable opportunity to consider the current constitutional provisions (ie M & A) and whether they continue to meet the needs of the board and the members. This process is effectively an audit of the constitution and governance mechanisms of the company. Such an audit is recommended on a regular (say each 5 years) to allow for changes in the law or to cover matters which may have arisen regarding interpretation of the constitution during the previous 5 year period. Greg Moin MOIN & ASSOCIATES PTY LIMITED The 2018 National Wagyu Conference – The Wagyu Edge will be held in Mackay, Queensland, May 3rd-6th with a tour of Central Queensland to some amazing properties willing to share their innovation and skills, arriving back into Rockhampton in time for the beginning of Beef 2018.

I recommend that AWA adopts a new modern constitution for the following reasons:

With our 2017 AGM just around the corner we invite nominations for the board as six members of Council will be retiring. The role of Councillor is unpaid but is a very rewarding experience. Council has three to four face to face (whole day meetings) per annum generally rotating between, Melbourne, Armidale, Brisbane and Sydney. We encourage anyone with the interest and skills to consider nominating and if elected to serve on the board.

1. The current Memorandum and Articles of Association (M&A) were prepared in a vastly different regulatory environment

The Wagyu Trade Mission to Japan was a very informative tour with something for every delegate as we travelled from Tokyo, to

We asked the AWA legal advisor Greg Moin to outline the principles for this change as follows: Why does AWA need a new constitution?

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

WAGYU the marbling breed

Hokkaido island (Obihiro and Shiraoi), to Kyoto (Osaka and Kobe), to Kyushu island (Kagoshima and Miyazaki) and then on to Sendai, Miyagi pref. for the Wagyu Zenkyo (Olympics). The detail of information shared by industry participants, by farmers and feedlotters was outstanding and very valuable to see first hand the systems and thinking applied in the original home of Wagyu cattle. A full report will be made available to members. Look forward to catching up with the members at the Genetics/Genomics Workshop, with an opportunity to visit the University of Queensland Gatton Campus and 2017 AGM.

Peter Gilmour President Australian Wagyu Association

WAGYU the marbling breed

WORKSHOP TOUR & AGM

the world’s best tasting tender beef

AUSTRALIAN WAGYU ASSOCIATION

REGISTRATION WORKSHOP & ADVANCED GENETIC TESTING SAVE THE DATE - come along to

20 - 21 NOVEMBER 2017

increase your understanding in using the

The 2017 AGM will be held at the University of Queensland’s Gatton campus. In addition, there will be a tour of the UQ Animal Genetics/Geneseek Laboratories and workshop on using the current and latest DNA tests within your Wagyu breeding and commercial applications. The AGM, workshop and tour will run over 2 days (20 - 21 November), with a dinner event following the AGM - 20 November.

Supplement programs balance the nutritional requirements of livestock with seasonal pasture quality

associations genetic tools and resources. See where and how your precious DNA samples are stored and analysed for use in genetic testing. Booking information and the official event program will be out soon. Visit the AWA website for details.

www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > 2017 AGM & WORKSHOP

Molafos supplement programs deliver results for Wagyu producers BENEFITS FOR GROWING CATTLE Backgrounders Maximise LWG to ensure target weights are reached in required timeframe to meet feedlot entry specification. Replacement Heifers Ensure joining weights are achieved to maximise pregnancy rates.

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*Results will depend on individual circumstances.

www.liquidfeeds.com.au THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

ceo update

Dr. MATTHEW McDONAGH

EXCITING FUTURE OF GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR OUR INDUSTRY CEO INTRODUCTION Dear members, although I met many of you I met at the 2017 Wagyu Expansion conference in Albury in May, for those of you I have not met, it is a pleasure to introduce myself to you. Taking on the role of CEO of the Australian Wagyu Association is a great opportunity for me. It is a natural fit to my background in research (US Department of Agriculture and Australian State DPIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s) and industry management roles (Meat and Livestock Australia) which have spanned applying meat science, animal growth/nutrition and applied genetic research for the improvement of the Australian cattle industry. I have watched the Wagyu industryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exciting period of growth and development over the last years with interest. I recognise the challenges in developing our genetic tools and the need to continually improve these along with our databases and analyses to increase their utility across all traits to properly support this industry. A critical focus for me in the coming years is to ensure that we capitalise on the significant research investments made in improving our genetic understanding of Wagyu traits and to deliver the new tools and products to our members that will make them more efficient and profitable. I am deeply interested in expanding our knowledge of the variation in eating quality and nutritional attributes of Australian Wagyu and how we can use this variation through genetic and objective measurement systems to improve the performance of Australian Wagyu for all members of the 8

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

supply chain. I will be working closely with Meat and Livestock Australia and our research community to develop projects that can underpin better objective definition of Wagyu eating quality.

AUSTRALIAN WAGYU ASSOCIATION GROWTH The Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association have released the results of their annual Breed Association survey for 2016. In the 12 months to December 2016, we expanded our membership base from 350 to 439 members. In the last 6 months, we have further increased our member numbers to more than 600. Based on December 2016 figures, this would make us the 4th largest Breed Association in Australia. Registrations also rose from 8050 by the end 2015 to 9640 by the end of 2016. In the last six months, registrations have lifted further to 11,300 for the full financial year. The 2018 financial year promises more growth in the Association as we deliver increased value to our members in way of improved genetic services increasing the usefulness of our products for our members.

CHANGE OF NAME FTI TO THE TERMINAL CARCASE INDEX OR TCI The Elite Wagyu Sale is held in conjunction with the annual Wagyu Conference and is an opportunity to present animals and genetic material for sale that can be demonstrated to be in the top 10% of Wagyu Estimated Breeding Values. The at the 2017 Wagyu Expansion Conference, those present witnessed the strength of market sentiment for these Elite lots on the open market. Of particular interest

for buyers were lots with high Fullblood Terminal Index (FTI) values. Considering the carcase specific nature of the index for ranking animals based on terminal profitability, we have changed the name of the FTI to the Terminal Carcase Index (TCI) to enable buyers to better recognise that this index is a predictor of relative carcase value of slaughter progeny only and does not take into account aspects of fertility and maternal merit of the breeding female.

RESEARCH PROJECT UPDATE The Wagyu Association now has 3 very significant research projects funded with Meat and Livestock Australia through the MLA Donor Company. These projects utilise Wagyu Association funds and those provided by industry participants to leverage Australian Commonwealth funding 50:50 for conducting red meat industry research and development. This model allows us to direct far greater research for the improvement of Wagyu genetic services, with far greater scale and impact than we would otherwise be possible under our own means. The funding allows us to attract industry participants and world leading research partners such as the Animal and Genetics Breeding Unit (AGBU) to contribute to the development of Australian Wagyu genetic progress. The WAGYU COLLABORATIVE GENETICS PROJECT STAGE 2 is progressing well, with DNA SNP genotype information on 2,500 individuals with slaughter carcase data now processed by the Animal Genetics Breeding Unit (AGBU).

These genotypes and data records are allowing us to trial genomic prediction of carcase traits and to use genomic information to more accurately ascribe the genetic influence of the sire and the dam for all EBV’s. We are working closely with AGBU over the coming months with the aim of delivering Genomic-enhanced EBVs through Single-Step Wagyu BREEDPLAN by the end of 2017. SingleStep BREEDPLAN for Wagyu will improve the accuracy of EBVs across all our traits and deliver early-in-life EBV predictions for animals. The NET FEED INTAKE PROGENY TEST PROGRAM has now been approved to receive MLA Donor Company Funding to reduce the cost to members for testing animals for efficiency. The first group of animals that qualify for funding is currently being tested at Kerwee Feedlot who have installed GrowSafe feeders to record individual feed intake on animals in this program. Net Feed Intake (NFI) is a measure of feed efficiency, and is defined as the difference between an animal's actual feed intake and its expected feed intake based on its size and growth. This project will run over 5 years covering 15 rounds of 180 animals per Net Feed Intake testing cohort (2,700 animals in total). A maximum of 30 sires can be evaluated through each round. This project will give us an understanding of how variation in NFI relates to feedlot and carcase performance in Wagyu cattle. In similar experiments in other breeds of cattle, 15% variation between high and low NFI animals is typical, meaning that some animals eat 15% more than the most efficient animals for the same weight gain. Given that it takes much more energy to deposit marbling fat than it does lean tissue within muscle, we expect that we will see associations between NFI and marbling or lean growth. However, there is always variation between animals that if identified, can be exploited through breeding. The end result for Wagyu Association members will be development of an NFI EBV that takes into account any effects on carcase traits. The WAGYU CROSSBRED DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS project has commenced in June 2017. This project will allow us to collect 9,500 crossbred SNP genotypes and carcase records from F1 slaughter progeny covering the major cross-breed types. To date, only Fullblood slaughter progeny performance data has been included in Wagyu BREEDPLAN. However, many other beef breeds utilise crossbred data. With Fullblood value rapidly increasing and more being retained for seedstock production, it will become increasingly challenging to collect Fullblood feedlot and carcase data. This project will collect 9500 crossbred records over five years and analyse its use in Wagyu BREEDPLAN to drive up EBV accuracy. In future, crossbred data will become increasingly used due to its greater availability. This data will enable the assessment of data integration from F1 supply chains to inform EBVs for sires registered with the association. We are looking to work with

industry partners to identify a significant number of groups of Bos indicus, Bos taurus and dairy cattle F1 Wagyu slaughter cattle.

CORPORATE The Auditors, Crowe Horwarth have spent several days in the Association offices going through the end of financial year audit processes prior to reporting on the AWA financial statements at the 2017 AGM. The CEO and Board have worked hard over recent months to develop the Business plan for the 2018 financial year, including the AWA Budget and Operational Plan. These have been endorsed following the AWA Board meeting of the 21st of June in Melbourne, Victoria.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – SAVE THE DATE The venue and date for the 2017 AGM have now been set. We are holding this year’s AGM at the University of Queensland’s Gatton campus in the week of the 20th of November. In addition to the AGM, we will be holding a tour of the UQ Animal Genetics/ Geneseek Laboratories and holding a workshop on using the current and latest DNA tests to assist you with your Wagyu breeding and commercial applications. The AGM, workshop and tour will be held over 2 days (20th and 21st of November), with a dinner event on the 20th following the AGM to reward those in attendance. Please come along to increase your skill and understanding in using the Associations genetic tools and resources and to see where and how your precious samples and DNA are stored and analysed for use in genetic testing.

NEW IMPROVED PRICING FOR DNA TESTS Through recent discussions with the DNA testing company GeneSeek, we have secured a new and highly competitive agreement for our members to use their DNA testing services. The new prices available through the AWA-GeneSeek agreement are: AWA exclusive Geneseek DNA services AWA member price (incl. GST) GGP LD (50K SNP)......................................................................................... $55.00 GGP LD (50K SNP) & Parent Verification ............................ $55.00 GGP LD (50K SNP) & Crossbred Wagyu Test .................. $66.00 Parent Verification (500 SNP) ............................................................. $30.00 The cost of the GGP LD 50K SNP test to members has been reduced by more than 20% from $71 to $55 (both prices are GST inclusive) through this agreement. As an added incentive for you to consider using genomic testing, we are currently able to provide SNP-based parent verification within the same price as the GGP LD (50K SNP) test as these SNP are already on the GGP LD chip. >>> page 10 THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

<<< from page 9 The cost of the Crossbred Wagyu Test to identify wagyu content in non-registered animals has also been reduced significantly, from $79 to $66 inclusive of GST through this agreement. These pricing changes place genomic testing at a level that is viable for members to consider wholesale uptake to enable genomic information to be used as part of EBV predictions through SingleStep Wagyu BREEDPLAN at the end of 2017. Once SingleStep Wagyu BREEDPLAN is implemented, members whose animals have genomic information recorded with the Association will benefit from improved accuracy of EBVs. Using genomic information in addition to pedigree and performance information, SingleStep BREEDPLAN analysis is better able to account for each animals DNA genotype and the relationship the DNA genotype has with any given trait. DNA Parent verification through SNP testing allows for accurate verification of parentage in large groups of animals with unsupervised mating’s providing that the sire, dam and progeny are all genotyped on the same SNP platform. Once a member has undertaken the base SNP genotyping for the sire and dam portion of their herd, subsequent generations of progeny can then be SNP genotyped for parent verification, without the need to repeat SNP testing of the parents (provided they have been SNP genotyped already). To access these services and pricing through GeneSeek, members must submit their request for services through the AWA and pay for these services up-front. The Association has negotiated for samples to be processed through the UQ-AGL labs for DNA extraction, prior to extracted DNA samples being sent by UQ-AGL to GeneSeek in the USA for testing.

NEW MIP AND SNP STANDARDS FOR DNA PARENT VERIFICATION The Board has considered the need for minimum standards in both Microsatellite (MiP) and SNP technology for parent Verification for cattle for registration 10

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

purposes, except those enrolled in the Slaughter register. The Board has resolved that the following minimum standards be applied to all parent verification: »» A minimum of 400 SNPs as specified by the AWA, or: »» A minimum of a 21MiP marker panel

CHANGES TO REGISTRATION FEES

platforms being developed for Wagyu ready to deliver new tests and services in the coming months; »» Patrick Warmoll from Jack’s Creek demonstrated the robustness of diversified markets and the Warmoll approach to quality and security through vertical integration; »» Matt Edwards from Edwards Livestock reinforced vertical integration is at the core of his market security along with long-term and mutually beneficial international partnerships;

Through developing our 2018 – 2020 budget, we have identified the need to increase registration fees for all Herdbook registrations. The fees charged for Herdbook registrations have increased by $2 per registration (approximately 8%). The AWA has held registration costs at the prior level for the last 5 years. This change is required to keep the cost of registration in-line with the cost of servicing members requests.

»» Nick Sher and Lachie Sutherland

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS

»» Erica Halliday and Richard Puddicome

2017 “WAGYU EXPANSION - TRANSFORMING THE AUSTRALIAN BEEF INDUSTRY” CONFERENCE REPORT Chantal Winter and her Conference Committee team have once again delivered a top-shelf conference with the Wagyu Expansion conference in Albury in May. There were many highlights for the attendees and a feast of information to be digested. These included; »» Honoring Wally Rae as an inductee to the Hall of Fame: Wally took us all the way back to selecting Monjiro in Japan and highlighted the people and relationships that were important to establishing export of Wagyu from Japan in the 1990’s; »» Brett Blanchett from Pardoo Station opened our eyes to the next wave of the Wagyu revolution as new corporate investors move into the Wagyu industry; »» Lisa Sharp from MLA presented the idea of ‘Plate to Paddock’ thinking and the growing demand from Asian middle class for premium quality Wagyu beef; »» Professor Rob Banks from AGBU showed us that the future with genomic prediction is right now, with the

explained the Wagyu x Holstein F1 system and that dairy farmers were highly suited to production of this animal given their abilities to innovate and pay attention to detail; explained Wagyu x Angus F1 systems, the suitability of high-quality Angus cows for Wagyu F1 production and the pay-offs regarding gross margins in Angus F1 systems; »» Richard Eldershaw described his experiences and the importance of developing relationships with producers across his time with Rangers Valley feedlot; »» Professor Keigo Kuchida and Joe Grose gave us a look at the new carcase camera system and how on-the-fly data processing can revolutionise grading and objective quality assessment in the abattoir On behalf of the AWA Board and staff, I sincerely thank the conference sponsors for their incredibly valuable support in ensuring that we could put on a conference program and functions package of the highest quality to attract and satisfy such a large and vibrant crowd. After it was all done and dusted, the final stats are that 480 delegates attended the 2017 conference and approximately 50% of those who completed our post-conference survey indicated that they had not attended an AWA annual conference before. This demonstrates the

incredible level of interest in the Wagyu industry and the

THE

value of the AWA conference as a networking opportunity for attendees in addition to being the key industry education and insight event for the year. Catch up on all speaker presentations delivered at the 2017 Wagyu Expansion AWA Conference and Wagyu Technical

www.wagyu.org.au

Workshop. Videos are available

AWA CONFERENCE & TOUR

2-6 MAY 2018

MACKAY

EVENTS > CONFERENCE VIDEOS

to stream or download now.

MEMBER SERVICES OFFICER RECRUITMENT I hope that many of you got to meet our new Member Services Officer, Steph Grills at the Wagyu Expansion conference. Steph and her family are keen cattle producers from the Guyra region of NSW. Steph is currently in the final throws of finishing her Animal Science degree at UNE and has been a very quick learner of the complex systems involved in dealing with the range of member enquiries that MSO’s face on a daily basis. Our senior Member Services Officer, Caitlin Berecry has notified us of her intention to leave the Association and pursue other interests. We have since recruited our newest Member Services Officer, Caroline Triebe to the team. Caitlin and Steph are working with Caroline now to train her up on our systems so that when Caitlin leaves us in November, we

2018 AWA CONFERENCE & TOUR

are still fully functional and responsive with delivery of our member services.

The 2018 conference with the theme ‘The Wagyu Edge -

On behalf of the Association, I would like to thank Caitlin

optimising your production systems’ heads north next year

for her time with us and for assisting in implementing many

to Mackay, a coastal city 340 kms north of Rockhampton in

of the new processes needed to handle the large increase in

central Queensland.

memberships, registrations and enquiries over the last 18

The conference will run from Wednesday May 2 to Friday

months. Best wishes for your future endeavours Caitlin.

May 4 followed by a tour on Saturday May 5 and Sunday

2018 CONFERENCE – THE WAGYU EDGE

May 6 south to Rockhampton where the week long Beef 2018

Planning for the 2018 Wagyu Conference is underway. The

event commences the next day, Monday May 7.

2018 conference will be held in Mackay in the first week of

Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre (MECC) is a

May 2018 and will cover many aspects relating to the latest information on Wagyu breeding, genetics, nutrition and management. We are designing the conference to be bigger and better than the highly successful 2017 conference and

modern $29 million facility. It's right in the city centre, close to the airport with 2000 accommodation rooms most within walking distance.

it will be followed by a tour south through part of Central

Mackay is well served by 110 flights per week from Brisbane,

Queensland which has high levels of Wagyu production. The

Townsville, Rockhampton, Cairns Sydney and Melbourne.

tour will finish in Rockhampton to enable delegates to attend the 2018 Beef Australia event following the conference tour.

The two day post-conference tour will visit significant Wagyu operations between Mackay and Rockhampton where the tour will end with the option of departing from Rockhampton or staying on to attend Beef 2018.

Dr. Matt McDonagh Chief Executive Officer Australian Wagyu Association

Event program and booking details for the 2018 conference will soon be available on the AWA website. THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

PRODUCTION SET TO DOUBLE An ambitious plan to more than double production and diversify would normally test the nerves of even the most optimistic of farmers.

Not so much, it seems, for Wagyu producer Jason Lewis.

was named by Meat Standards Australia as one of the top three herds in NSW for eating quality.

“Like most people in our industry, we’ve got a waiting list of customers,” says Jason, who turns off 50 Wagyu a month, to burgeoning domestic and global demand, from his fourthgeneration family farm in the fertile Gwydir Valley of northern NSW.

“We’ve come a long way,” says Jason, who studied business and marketing at university and worked off farm before returning home in 2002.

“In a perfect world, we’d like to get to 100 (in the short-term).

“We knew of them, obviously, and having a business and marketing background, I was looking for opportunities to potentially value add,” he said.

“And that is (just to supply) existing customers. “In the longer term we would like to be turning off 2000 a year and diversify our customer base more. “That’s the bigger picture.” Jason and wife Ann, their daughters, Alex, Taylor and Lottie, and Jason’s parents John and Lynne, run the Jac Wagyu business from their 2500ha on the banks of the Gwydir River north of Bingara.

ZERO TO HERO

James Wagstaff The Weekly Times

In the space of just 15 years the business has gone from zero to hero, from embryos implanted in Angus cattle because “you couldn’t even buy Wagyu animals at the time” to a point where it now sends a container of branded beef to China a month and is the sole supplier of premium Wagyu cuts to Coles. If that’s not enough of a rap, in 2015 Jac Wagyu

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Jason said that when he returned to farming he saw Wagyu — then a relatively minor breed in Australia — as a way of increasing profits.

“I didn’t really want to go down the path of value adding just anything, Wagyu provided the opportunity to do it properly, and differently, because at the time the market was developing. There wasn’t a lot of money to be made from regular beef, so we thought ‘it’s worth a try’.” Jason said their first Wagyu were the result of embryo transfer work. The Jac Wagyu herd now comprises about 80 purebred Wagyu cows and heifers, and 400500 Angus cows, which form the basis of the F1 (Wagyu-Angus cross), F2 (75 per cent or higher Wagyu content) and F3 (87 per cent or higher Wagyu content) animals. Of the 50 Wagyu processed for its brand a month, only about 20 per cent are purebreds. >>> page 14

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF GENETICS IN A MODERN AUSTRALIAN BEEF INDUSTRY Young Breed Leaders Workshop report The Australian Registered Cattle Breeders Association (ARCBA) held their inaugural youth leadership summit in Brisbane in July. The event theme was “What is the role of genetics in a modern Australian beef industry?” And it explored the challenges for genetic improvement in underpinning a globally competitive Australian beef industry. It was well attended by young breeders across all the registered cattle breeds; structured in a workshop style where participants were asked to grapple with some of the biggest challenges facing seedstock producers and the beef industry more broadly. Following a call to all members for expressions of interest to attend the workshop, Charlie Perry was selected by the Board as a representative of the Australian Wagyu Association. Charlie has a strong corporate commercial background with 6 years at Ernst & Young and is the Manager of Trent Bridge Wagyu, a family owned and operated stud near Guyra, with 250 fullblood females and a first cross Angus Wagyu program. Charlie reported that “much of the conference was framed

Charlie Perry was the AWA representative at ARCBA inaugural youth leadership summit in July.

around the aspiration for the entire national beef herd to focus on improving carcass eating quality; so that the Australian beef herd can continue to be competitive both globally against other nations who face significantly less cost pressures and domestically against other proteins”. Participants were asked to consider the role they saw for new genetic technology, including genomics, in achieving this goal. Charlie reflected that the Wagyu breed is well placed to help realise this aspiration. Given the tremendous diversity of participants operations, in terms of scale, geography and the types of clients being serviced, there was no shortage of animated and passionate discussion around the role of EBVs, data collection and recording, and adoption of new technology. Yet the diversity of opinion was certainly no barrier to the generation of some very innovative suggestions around how to tackle and capitalise on some of the big challenges in the industry. Charlie said he would encourage any other young breeders to put their hand up for the conference next year.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

<<< from page 12 Whereas once the majority of purebred steers would be processed under the brand, now most are retained as bulls for breeding or to sell to other herds. Most, if not all, of the females are going back into the herd in an effort to increase numbers.

WINTER OATS The Lewis family farm rises from Gwydir River flats to low hilltops and receives about 710mm of rain a year. This year, Jason said, the season has been fairly kind. “It wasn’t a really good summer but it was a cracking autumn and it was warm enough for everything to grow,” he said. Most pastures are subtropical grasses, with lucerne, natural clovers — “which are very seasonal” — and oats (the mainstay during winter).

weighing at least 350kg. “We try and make sure they are not heavier than that 450kg entering because they do need time on grain to marble through those secondary cuts,” Jason said.

FEEDING FRENZY The Jac feeding set-up covers nine small paddocks, which are well sheltered and have some ground cover that the cattle “munch on but don’t flog”. The cattle each receive about 10kg of feed per day in self feeders. Jason said barley was the main component of an otherwise secret mix. “What you feed a Wagyu can influence its flavour,” he said. “We use barley which differentiates us from most feedlots because they are usually using a mixture of wheat and various products.

minimum 97 per cent of Wagyu and marble score of at least 7, and the Jac Wagyu Gold label which is for the F1 Wagyu-Angus product.

OFF TO CHINA Two thirds of the Jac Wagyu product slaughtered each month — representing about half the value — is shipped to China. Most prime cuts remain in Australia, where customers include Coles, which sells Jac Wagyu in selected Sydney stores including Balgowlah, Bondi, Broadway and Zetland. “They only take a few cuts,” Jason said. “It might be half the value of the animal, but it’s only about a third of the volume.” Coles also stocks the value-added Jac Wagyu rendered fat, an alternative to oil or butter for roasting vegetables.

“We are on the doorstep of one of the biggest barley-growing regions in the southern hemisphere. It is a little bit more expensive than wheat, but it offers us other benefits.”

Looking to the future, Jason, who makes up to $100/kg wholesale for some of his top Wagyu cuts, said the Wagyu market was “overheated”.

Jason said the cattle were on feed for at least a year, and up to 400 days, before being slaughtered and packed to specification at the Northern Co-operative Meat Company at Casino.

While it is not expected to crash, he believes it will “come down to a more sustainable level” of $5-$6/kg liveweight.

Bulls and females are mated naturally for a spring calving, at a rate of about two bulls to a mob of 80-120 cows. Jason said that in the early days, when he only had a few Wagyu bulls, he joined one young sire with a mob of 120 heifers and he produced 112 calves.

Jason said finished steers usually dressed out at about 420-450kg carcass weight. He aims for an average 410kg carcass, across the herd, including the females, with marble scores of “6 or better” out of a possible 12.

“We’ve pretty much been turning back customers for four or five years.

The herd traditionally has a high pregnancy rate of 95 per cent-plus with a weaning rate of 92-95 per cent. The calves remain in the paddock, which are about 40ha, until they enter the feeding program

The Lewis family got into branding their own product early on “because there wasn’t a market for our females”. They now offer a number of brands, including the “top of the line” Jac Wagyu Pure, which boasts a

The Jac Wagyu herd is based on the high marbling Tajima lines Itoshigenami — “the flavour of the month” — and Michifuku. Conscious that “it doesn’t matter how good your sire is, if you don’t have the right females you’re not going to produce the product the customer wants” Jason’s Angus bloodlines include Booroomooka, Rennylea, Te Mania and Eaglehawk.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

“There is still good money to be made out of that,” he said.

“Being a family business, limited cash flow makes it hard to grow at the pace that is required. “One Wagyu will owe you about $3000$4000 depending on the cost of it going into the feeding program. “Returns on farm have probably doubled in the past three years but meat prices have not.”

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THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Above, RNA president David Thomas, Alan Hoey whose pen of F2 plus Wagyu cross won the competition and AWA director Ron Fitzgerald. Left, Stanbroke Beef ’s highest daily single weight gainer in the competition was this F1 Wagyu cross that put on 1.547 kgs/day over 350 days on feed.

FEEDLOT TRIAL HIGHLIGHTS WAGYU VALUE After 100 Wagyu crossbred and purebred cattle spent 350 days on feed at Mort & Co’s Grassdale feedlot at Dalby, Qld, and then processed at nearby Oakey, veteran Wagyu specialist Alan Hoey’s pen of six from Allora, Qld, came out as the overall winner of the Wagyu Challenge section in the Brisbane Royal’s Paddock to Palate competition. Hoey, formerly with Wagyu specialist feedlot Maydan, won the award by a mere 0.22 points from colleague and client Darren Hamblin from Sarina, Qld. Hoey also came in third with Hamblin entries fourth and fifth. All these pens were F2 plus Wagyu. The first two pens were Michifuku genetics, third Wightman Itoshigenami X91 while the next two pens were Huruki 2 and Itoshigenami TF148 bloodlines. Only 2.25 points was the difference between first and fifth. The Japanese developed carcase camera was utilised to assess carcases for EMA, meat and fat colour, marble score and marble fineness. This mirrored the Australian Wagyu Association’s 16

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

extensive program of capturing carcase data to develop highly accurate EBVs. The Mauller family from Wallumbilla Qld placed sixth with a purebred pen and seventh with an F2 pen. The fourth placed Hamblin pen generated the highest carcase value.

MOST VALUABLE SINGLE CARCASE NEAR $6000 A 448.5 kg carcase from a pen of four tooth F2s entered by Richard and Dyan Hughes, Wentworth Cattle Co, Clermont, Qld, was the most valuable single carcase drawing a grid price of $13.34/kg for a total of $5984. The Eastern Young Cattle Indictor in mid-August was around $5.60/kg carcase weight. This animal entered Grassdale feedlot at 369 kgs and grew at 1.3 kgs/day to yield 448.5 kgs of saleable meat with an 8.5 marble score. Despite the high returns from their 20 year old Wagyu breeding program, Dyan Hughes said the breed’s fertility impressed them the most. While the Wagyu crosses wean 10 kgs lighter than calves in their Brahman based herd, they are producing many more Wagyu calves. “Even without the current high prices for Wagyu we have more saleable animals (from the Wagyu herd) and that’s very attractive in northern Australia where fertility is a major issue”, said Mrs Hughes.

LONG FED WEIGHT GAIN 1.547 KGS/DAY At the end of the 350 days on feed Stanbroke Beef’s F1 pen of six was the highest weight gainer at 1.370 kgs/day with one of the pen returning 1.547 kgs/day to be the highest weight gainer on the competition.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

MARKET UPDATE

BULL SELLS FOR $88,000 AT WAGYU PREMIUM SALE At the September online Premium Wagyu sale on AuctionsPlus, all fullbloods cleared online or soon afterwards. Bulls sold to $88,000 for Macquarie Wagyu M0480 (TCI +$468). Fullblood heifers, in calf (TCI +$297) sold to $10,000. All 25 fullblood cows and heifers sold. RuralCo livestock agencies throughout Australia are sole agents for the restructured Premium Wagyu sale supported by the Australian Wagyu Association. GDL/RuralCo has received good enquiries for fullbloods – high

TCI and marble score bulls along with all types of females. Contact your local RuralCo agent to arrange an inspection and listing or contact sale coordinator, Harvey Weyman-Jones, GDL/RuralCo, 07 4669 6955 or 0414 941 788 hweymanjones@gdlrural.com.au More information can be found about the sale on the AWA website

www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > PREMIUM WAGYU SALE

HEIFERS AVERAGE $3375 AT PREMIUM SALE Specialises in breeding large size high tajima fullblood stud bulls

Eight fullblood Wagyu heifers sold to a top of $4350 and averaged $3375. On August 4 on the AuctionsPlus based AWA supported Premium Wagyu sale, eight fullblood Wagyu heifers aged from 10 to 17 months account Samaria Valley Wagyu, Lima South, Vic, sold to a top of $4350 and averaged $3375. Ruralco Livestock Agencies throughout Australia have been appointed the sole agents for the Premium Wagyu Sale on behalf of the Australian Wagyu Association (AWA). This is an AuctionsPlus sale conducted monthly over the next few months of spring, and then two monthly or monthly depending on supply and demand. Any RuralCo branch can list your cattle. Sale coordinator is Harvey Weyman Jones of GDL. The Premium Wagyu Sale is supported and promoted by AWA and aims to provide a high quality appropriately described offering. As such, certain criteria must be met: »» The sale is open to all types of Wagyu cattle from Fullblood to F1, stud or commercial, live cattle or genetics (semen, embryos & flushes), breeders, feeders, weaners or prime cattle. »» All lots must trace back to an AWA Registered Sire or Dam with BREEDPLAN figures. For details on the next sale, visit the AWA website

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www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > PREMIUM WAGYU SALE

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2017 AWA Conference

DNA technologies

DR ROB BANKS

GENETIC PROGRESS TO BE ‘SUPERCHARGED’ Supercharged evaluations of how an animal will breed, courtesy of frontier DNA technologies, are paving the way for a radical speed-up of the rate of genetic progress in beef herds. That sort of advancement is “pure productivity” - the capacity to add value faster than costs are rising, according to genetics scientist Dr Rob Banks, director of AGBU.. However, the possibilities genomics is opening up to beef producers is “no big secret” and Australia’s competitors are already hot on the trail, he warned. “So don’t think you have five or ten years of cruising ahead of the game,” Dr Banks told delegates at the 2017 Australian Wagyu Association conference in Albury NSW. Dr Banks outlined the way genomic profiles can now be used alongside pedigree and performance data to give both increased accuracy on key commercial traits and cut down generational intervals. “Right now we can read the DNA directly of an individual animal at astonishing levels of precision and we can do that on large numbers of animals for reasonable prices,” he said. “We can combine that reading, that is the genomic information, with pedigree and performance information to get what you what you’d call genomically enhanced EBVs. “That enables us to produce accurate EBVs on animals at any point in the their lives for whatever trait is necessary. “It is possible from the moment of conception - you can certainly do it from birth.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

“This is profoundly game changing.” Where progeny testing requires waiting a number of years and selecting bulls on the basis of their progeny’s performance for a trait, genomic selection means breeders can select the moment a calf is born and start producing progeny from that animal at eight months of age. “If you do the sums, it’s possible to increase the value of a steer by well over $100 per year using genomic selection, compared to the current $30 to $40 per year gains,” Dr Banks said. “A breed could make progress such that average return per steer they produce each year would be $100 more than the previous year crop.” If you put this together with cutting edge reproductive technologies, such as in vitro embryo transfer with young cattle (known as JIVET), it could possible double again the rate of progress, according to Dr Banks. For Australia’s seedstock producers, market share was ultimately going to be determined by the genetic progress for profit being achieved, Dr Banks said.

Image courtesy: DestinationsNSW

If you do the sums, it’s possible to increase the value of a steer by well over $100 per year using genomic selection ... something that should be worked on immediately, he said. “If you decide, for instance, that methane production is something you want to improve in your cattle you need to be recording cattle for methane output,” he said. “Whatever is important, give priority to getting the data on the right animals.” Dr Banks’ other message: Remember you have competitors and don’t rest on your laurels. “Everybody in the world knows about this technology and all your competitors are moving to genomic selection,” he said. “And they are all going to chase eating quality at the lowest possible price - they are such obvious things to do.

“The longer you are in the game the more your market share depends on whether you are going faster than others in the genetic improvement race,” he said. “The longer the race goes, the more your speed matters. “Everything you can do to increase the rate of genetic progress will lead to growing your market share.” Data is the critical component and was

Dr Rob Banks presentation is available to stream or download.

www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > CONFERENCE VIDEOS

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

2017 AWA Conference

As Wagyu/Angus F1 herds continue to grow in response to premium prices, Angus females will continue to be highly prized commodities, respected Angus cattle breeder and judge Erica Halliday, told the 2017 Australian Wagyu Association conference. Mrs Halliday and her husband Stuart sell yearling Angus bulls from their Ben Nevis Angus stud at Walcha, NSW, to large parts of Australia, including into extensive pastoral operations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. They also produce a special style of Angus female specifically suited to the Wagyu/Angus F1 production program. The Hallidays began producing Wagyu/Angus F1s more than a decade ago, and Erica shared the practical learnings from their experiences in an entertaining and insightful address to the large audience of Wagyu breeders at the Wagyu conference.

WAGYU GROWTH OPEN ‘FLYING HERD’ CONCEPT The rapid expansion of Wagyu/ Angus first cross (F1) cattle herds in Australia is creating opportunities for producers to adapt the ‘flying herd’ concept from the dairy industry and for breeders to become specialist suppliers of Angus replacement females.

She told the conference that a clear opportunity exists for producers to become specialist producers of Angus replacement breeders for Wagyu/Angus F1 herds. “There have been so many Angus taken out of the system and joined to Wagyu, I see real opportunities to breed a replacement Angus female and to do it really well and become specialists and to start breeding these flying herds,” she explained. In the dairy industry, ‘flying herds’ are dairy herds kept only for milk production. All calves produced are sold, and replacement females are purchased as required from outside sources. By freeing up the need to breed replacements, the strategy allows dairy farmers to maximise milk production. Every blade of grass is used to run cows producing milk, not growing replacement heifers. The same concept in Wagyu/Angus F1 production herds allows every blade of grass to go toward producing crops of calves with high quality beef. The flying herd concept allows producers to increase turnover by freeing up country that would otherwise be needed to breed replacement females and enables them to run more steers.

HIDDEN COSTS IN REPLACEMENT FEMALES Growing replacement heifers had hidden costs for Wagyu/ Angus F1 producers, Mrs Halliday explained. For every three heifers they breed, they could be running not one, but two cows with calves at foot.

James Nason Beef Central

“If you are talking about costs, or what those animals do for you, those three heifers over that year will make you no money. “Whereas those two cows and calves will make you, if you valued the calf at $1250, they will make you $2500. “That is in the first year. Do that again the next year and it doubles to $5000.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

“So it is costing you $5000 to grow those heifers out for two years until they come into production, and if you don't calve at three, it is costing you even more. “So have you got $5000 to buy a replacement animal?” Mrs Halliday urged Wagyu/Angus producers to build relationships with people who can become specialist Angus replacement breeders. “We see a future, and we see a future for ourselves in this, of raising specialist Angus replacement females for Wagyu Angus F1 replacement systems in a flying herd.” From humble beginnings starting with an agisted herd in leased country in a state forest, Erica and Stuart, a veterinarian, have gleaned many practical lessons on how to breed high-performing Wagyu-Angus F1s.

PRE-CALVING AND EARLY WEANING Among many messages shared with the conference, Mrs Halliday emphasised the importance of pre-calving strategies to improve calving ease. After experiencing initial calving problems, the Hallidays found a solution in giving pre-calving heifers pellets containing magnesium and acid salts to reduce the negative effects of nitrates in green feed. The pre-calving treatment has helped heifers to have quick and easy calvings, has maximised colostrum production and milk for the calf, and has helped them to go quickly back in calf and continue to grow as a cow and calf unit. Early weaning strategies have also been adopted to set cattle up for life with a well-developed rumen that ensures life long feed-conversion efficiency. A cow and calf together was the most inefficient way to convert grass into meat through milk. Together, a cow and calf unit has a DSE rating of 16 DSE. However, the moment they are weaned, the DSE requirements of the same unit drop back to 13 DSE. Trials of twin calves, where one was fed a milk diet, and the other was early weaned and fed a diet including starch and roughage, showed that the rumen of the latter had increased papilla, blood flow and therefore better overall absorption potential for nutrients.

Before changing to an early-weaning, weaned calves lost weight over winter and took several months longer to reach required market weights. After adopting early-weaning, calves gained 30kg during the weaning process.

“The effect on the cows is just massive and the flow on effects of early calving and precalving are also massive.”

ULTRASOUND SCANNING FOR IMF

The biggest positive was the “massive cow effect”. By the time weaned cows entered winter, they had each gained at least one body condition score.

About 15 years ago the Hallidays also began using ultrasound technology to scan intramuscular fat (IMF) in heifers. Since that time IMF percentages have increased from 4.5pc to 8.5pc, with similar levels of fat, and heifer growth has increased by 50kg per head.

“This meant this meant they calved down a condition score better in the following spring, it meant they calved down with more milk, which meant they calved down with heavier calves, which meant they went back in calf quicker,” Mrs Halliday said.

Mrs Halliday said the opportunity to attend a Low Stress Stock Handling Course with Bud Williams a decade ago was “hands down simply the best thing that we ever done”, and now all staff are required to undertake the same training.

A 'MASSIVE COW EFFECT'

“So what has actually happened over the 10 years since we have been doing this is our cows have been getting bigger and fatter, our weaners have been getting bigger and heavier, and faster growing. “The cow effect for us is the biggest effect that has happened from early weaning.” Today the Hallidays take the same approach with their Angus bull calves.

COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS The costs of pre-calving were about $15 a head, plus the labour of feeding them, at an estimated $500 (An investment likely to be far outweighed by the labour requirement cost of pulling calves). The result was a reduction in incidence of calving loss to 4 percent, representing a saving across 100 heifers of four calves. “The additional benefits are better colostrum transfer for healthier calves, more milk giving them more weight, and increased total reconceptions. “That is the gold mine, that last one.” The costs of early weaning were around $30 a head in feeding costs, plus the labour required to feed them every day.

SET GROWTH TARGETS FOR REPLACEMENT FEMALES As with the dairy industry, Mrs Halliday said producers looking to breed specialist Angus replacement heifers should set growth targets for their heifers and monitor them. “And they need to have a health protocol, so if they come into that business on the point of calving, at 85pc of their mature weight, then that reduces calving problems, they have done most of their growing, so then they can put most of it into milk.” Heifers should be bunk trained for future pre-calving treatments, have quiet temperaments, and be bred with a focus on high growth and intramuscular fat. “We think there are real opportunities for Angus producers to breed these flying herds to breed specialist replacement heifers for your Wagyu-Angus F1 breeding program. “Our demands for Angus are the same as your demands for Angus - high growth, high marbling, easy care. “And together we can create an amazing product that if done well will revolutionise eating preferences.”

“The flow on effects of early weaning and pre-calving are massive” Where weaners were losing 30kg over that weaning process, they were now gaining 30kg. 60kg at a nominal price of $5/kilogram liveweight represents a $30,000 benefit. The adoption of pre-calving and early weaning strategies had lifted reconception rates in first-calf heifers from 65pc to 95pc.

Erica Halliday's presentation is available to stream or download.

www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > CONFERENCE VIDEOS

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

2017 AWA Conference

HALL OF FAME STATUS FOR WAGYU PIONEER

James Nason Beef Central

One of Australia’s earliest Wagyu industry pioneers was honoured for his contribution to the breed’s spectacular development in this country during the opening stages of the 2017 Australian Wagyu Association Conference at Albury. Central Queensland cattleman Wally Rea was inducted into the AWA’s Hall of Fame at the conference by association president Peter Gilmour. Wally secured the Australian semen rights to the first Fullblood cattle that left Japan in the 1990s, as well as their progeny. Although the details are somewhat vague, that occurred around 1994, Beef Central understands.

 

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EVENTS > CONFERENCE VIDEOS

Wally seized on the opportunity, undertaking very large artificial insemination programs each year to rapidly multiply the Wagyu genetic footprint in the conventional beef herd on his property, The Overflow, near Marlborough. During the early to mid-2000s, he routinely AI’d up to 2000 breeders each year using Wagyu semen as part of the upgrading process, in what was then one of the largest AI programs in Australia. It meant that very quickly, Wally established perhaps the largest purebred Wagyu herd in Australia in that era, being well ahead of other breeders in the pace of expansion and upgrading. At a time when Wagyu cattle were not only unfashionable, but actively frowned upon by many mainstream cattlemen, Wally was prepared to look past their ‘plain, dairy-like’ exterior to the genetic potential which lay within – extracting previously unheard-of marbling performance from the Japanese black cattle. Never one to seek public attention, he set about quietly building has Wagyu cattle numbers in Central Queensland. His dogmatic approach has sometimes attracted criticism within the Wagyu industry, but equally, his achievements are universally recognised. His early genetic selections were regarded as some of the best-performing bloodlines to come out of Japan, and purebred herd bulls from The Overflow quickly gained a reputation as high performers in progeny marbling performance. Over time, as access to Wagyu genetics improved, Wally was also involved in early Fullblood Wagyu breeding. >>> page 28 THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

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<<< from page 25 “The first Fullblood bull born in Australia was born on my airstrip right in front of my house,” he told the conference. A stickler for detailed performance recording, he established a vast performance database on his own cattle, continuing to improve the genetic performance within the herd, based on progeny testing and carcase results. He occasionally came under criticism for not sharing his performance data more widely across the Wagyu industry, however.

RETAINED OWNERSHIP FOCUS Wally always cultivated a vision of retaining ownership of his cattle through the chain, and selling his product to Japanese customers, rather than simply selling feeders to other specialist Wagyu feedlots. His first batch of Wagyu-infused carcases were sold in the wholesale market in Japan, presumably airfreighted, around 1998, in what was probably the first export sale of Australian beef bearing some Wagyu genetics.

In another alliance with Nippon Meat Packers, which operated the Borthwicks Mackay abattoir not far from his property, Wagyu cross beef from The Overflow was also sold into Japan – likely to have been the first boxed beef exports of Wagyu-infused product from Australia. “The second-in-charge at Nippon at the time (Mr Tatsumi, who is now a senior executive in the NH Foods Ranks) was the first man to buy any of The Overflow’s crossbred progeny,” Wally said. Wally continued under the ‘retained ownership’ model for many years, getting cattle custom-fed at various sites including Maydan feedlot near Warwick, Wonga Plains outside Dalby, and ICM’s Peechelba feedlot near Wangaratta in Victoria. Most of his cattle these days are sold into Wagyu programs fed at Stockyard’s Kerwee feedlot on the Darling Downs.

BREAKING DOWN 'CONVENTIONS' In the early days when Wagyu cattle feeding ‘conventions’ were still being ironed-out in Australia, Wally was always prepared to feed his cattle ‘a lot longer’ than others, who at the time saw little point in leaving cattle on feed beyond 300 days. Programs out to 500 days were not beyond Wally’s ideals, in the quest to achieve absolute marbling performance, rather than being bound-up in conventional feedlot thinking. At the 2017 AWA conference, resident Peter Gilmour saluted Wally for his contributions to the Wagyu industry in this country.

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“In what started as a novelty, cottage industry, Wagyu has now matured, expanding across the length and breadth of the continent to become a genuine part of the Australian beef industry,” Mr Gilmour said. “It is pioneers like Wally that took it out into pastoral country to create it,” he said. Mr Gilmour credited Wally’s strong interest in meat quality traits for laying the foundation for what was to come. “It was really meat eating quality that drove him to Wagyu,” Mr Gilmour said. “How amazingly forward-looking he was as an individual.” “As a man who was intimately involved in the very first shipment of Wagyu cattle out of Japan, Wally has led many of his colleagues into the Wagyu industry through his own success and generous advice.”

JAPAN VISIT SPARKED INTEREST In his acceptance speech, Wally said he went to Japan on a holiday in the early 1990s and ended up at the then Australian Meat & Livestock Corporation office in Tokyo. “They told me there wasn’t any good Australian beef in the Japanese market,” he said. >>> page 30

“DO IT SIMPLY. DO IT WELL.” Cattle Breeders are always striving to improve their herd, to meet the ever changing trends and demands in the marketplace. The benefits of improving the herd are long term and can instill great pride over a life time.

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THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

The 2017 #Wagyu Expansion Conference drew the largest crowd ever in the event’s 16-year history with over 400 Wagyu Australian and international industry representatives.

<<< from page 28 “They took me down to the (Tokyo Central Market) meat auction and I saw they were using a measure of quality that I hadn’t even heard of – marbling. Witnessing the auction and the prices being paid, it was pretty obvious to me that I should take a bit more notice,” Wally told the conference. “I tried for a fair while to get some Wagyu out of Japan. A guy called Peter Winkler put an ad in the paper, offering Wagyu semen for sale. I rang him up and said how much you got? He said he had 2000 straws.” “I said I will buy the lot, but I want to see that bull first, and make sure he is not a fake.” “That proved difficult, as the bull was in Georgetown, Texas, so I went to Georgetown, to see him.

Image courtesy: DestinationsNSW

This popular session challenged a panel of industry leaders with probing questions. Many producers are asking what is the optimum Wagyu influence required in a herd. Find out what the experts think.

www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > CONFERENCE VIDEOS

"The owner had a neighbour who had a reasonable herd of what we call American Wagyu genetics. I said that looks like a Wagyu animal, but I want to see the meat,” Wally recalled. That led him to Washington State University, where a feeder trial was winding up with a slaughter the following week. “I went up to Washington State and watched that trial. They told me the Wagyu in Japan were even better, and I was told that it wasn’t illegal or impossible to get them out of Japan.” “He said Charolais cattle were coming to the US through Japan, undergoing quarantine in Japan. So they must be a health protocol in place, so you can do that legally,” he said. A string of negotiations followed, with the president of the Wagyu Association in Japan and the head of the Kyoto University, Wally recalled.

Image courtesy: DestinationsNSW

He also visited an All-Japan carcase show around the same time, seeing some dairy cattle carcases auctioned, making the equivalent of about A$500, while the elite Wagyu carcases were making $30,000 or $40,000. “The marbling the cattle was what I wasn't used to,” Wally said. Wally and a group of fellow investors established a company, New Era Genetics to build a custom-made quarantine centre in Japan to facilitate the live trade.

Tajima F1 Wagyu crossbred brand from Andrews Meat Industries named grand champion in the 2017 Wagyu Branded Beef Competition announced during the 2017 AWA Conference Gala Dinner. Image courtesy: DestinationsNSW

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

“We got USDA vets to fly over there and take the blood samples so they would allow us to land them in the US. It was quite lucky really because there was only a short time window available to do it, The Japanese opened the door, and then of course BSE closed the door very quickly.” No imports had occurred out of Japan since then, because of BSE, Wally said.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

2017 AWA Conference

Tajima, Andrews Meat Industriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Wagyu crossbred brand, was named grand champion at the 2017 Wagyu Branded Beef Competition during the presentation ceremony at the 2017 Wagyu Conference in May.

Image courtesy: DestinationsNSW

GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP TO TAJIMA 2017 Wagyu Branded Beef Competition Chief judge, Peter Lewis was MC for the awards ceremony held during the Conference Gala dinner.

Representatives of 21 premium Wagyu brands were assessed by a panel of 16 judges. The four classes judged were fullblood, crossbred, commercial steak and gourmet sausage. Entries were judged on standard sensory taste panel criteria including tenderness, flavour, juiciness and overall liking as well as visual raw state. On this and the following pages, we have listed the award winners from this years' competition. A full list of results from the 2017 Wagyu Branded Beef Competition are available from our website.

www.wagyu.org.au

EVENTS > WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

Pictured from left: Jeremy Stuart, Andrews Meats, John Kilroy, Cha Cha Cha and Kylie Schuller, Andrews Meats.

AWARD WINNER

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

CLASS 1 FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100%

EXHIBITOR / BRAND

CLASS 1 RESULTS

BRAND 2GR Premium Fullblood Wagyu

SCORE 670

Breeder Pastoral Properties NSW Sire N/A Dam F1020

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

Marbling 35% Fineness of marbling index 2.2 Rib Eye Area 83.0 Approx. days on feed 450 Approx. age at slaughter 35 months Feed ingredients Corn Silage, Corn Hominy, Cereal Straw, Cereal grains, Molasses,Canola Meal, Vegetable Oil. Target market % Domestic 10% Export 90% Target carcase wt. range 400-450 kg Processor John Dee

COMPETITION PMS = 871C

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

2017

FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100 %

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

COMPETITION

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

COMPETITION

2017 2017 Lasting juiciness, very tender with a little residual texture. Sweet baked biscuit. CROSSBRED CROSSBRED

COMPETITION

COMPETITION 2017

WAGYU

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

COMPETITION

PMS = 877C

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

PMS = 871C

COMPETITION

2017

COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK

WA BR BE

COM PMS

PMS = 871C

AWARD WINNERS

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

CLASS 2 (CROSSBRED WAGYU) & GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND COMPETITION

EXHIBITOR / BRAND

CLASS 2 RESULTS

BRAND Tajima Wagyu

SCORE 773

Sire Multi sire joined Dam Angus Wagyu content/ BRAND F1 -50% EXHIBITOR

BRAND Westholme

Approx. days on feed 375 Approx. age at slaughter 27 months Feed ingredients Wheat, Barley and other Target market % Domestic 15% Export 85% Target carcase wt. range 380+ kg Processor JBS Riverina

CLASS 2 RESULTS

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

Sire N/A Dam AACo Composite Wagyu content F1 - 50% min.

BRAND Stockyard Black Wagyu

Sire N/A Dam N/A Wagyu content N/A

BRAND The Phoenix

COMPETITION

Sire N/A Dam F1 - 50% Wagyu content F2 - 75%

BRAND WX9 by Rangers Valley

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

Tender, very juicy, great flavour. Rich and rounded.

COMPETITION CHAMPION

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

Sire Multiple Dam Angus Wagyu content F1 - 50%

SILVER MEDA

2017

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED WAGYU BEEF BRANDED COMPETITION BEEF works”.

WAGYU BRANDED WAGYU BEEF BRANDED COMPETITION BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL GOLD MEDAL 2017

SILVER MEDAL SILVER MEDA 2017

FULLBLOOD 2017 WAGYU 100 % COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK

WAGYU BRANDED WAGYU BEEF PMS = 871C BRANDED COMPETITION BEEF

WAGYU BRANDED WAGYU BEEF PMS = 877C BRANDED COMPETITION BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL SILVER MEDA 2017

COMPETITION

CHAMPION WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND COMPETITION

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL WAGYU 2017 BRANDED CROSSBRED 2017 WAGYU BEEF GOURMET

COMPETITION WAGYU SAUSAGE

COMPETITION

COMPETITION CROSSBRED 2017

WAGYU GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAG

2017

COMPETITION

COMPETITION FULLBLOOD

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100 %

BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEFsteak balanced

BEEF

COMPETITION

2017

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDA

WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF %

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDA

WAGYU SAUSAGE

GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAGE

COMPETITION

WAGYU 100

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 PMS = 877C BRANDED GOURMET BEEF COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL BRONZE MEDAL WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED 2017 2017 2017 BEEF CROSSBRED BEEFCROSSBRED CROSSBRED

COMPETITION WAGYU COMPETITION WAGYU

WAGYU

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

BEEF WAGYU STEAK Tender, very juicy, lasting juiciness, rich flavour, beefy aroma.BEEF COMPETITION COMPETITION

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF WAGYU STEAK

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

CHAMPION WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF GRAND CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF FULLBLOOD

SILVER MEDAL WAGYU

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

BRANDED GOURMET BEEFSAUSAGE WAGYU

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017

COMPETITION

BRANDED 2017 BEEF FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017

COMPETITION

BRONZE MEDAL WAGYU

BRANDED 2017 BEEF FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017

COMPETITION

2017

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

2017

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION

COMMERCIAL Nice resistance yet still tender, fatty juicy but still pleasurable,COMMERCIAL herbaceous,COMMERCIAL salty, toasty. WAGYU STEAK WAGYU STEAK WAGYU STEAK

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

CHAMPION THE 2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

2017

COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK

WAGYU 100

WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL

JUDGES COMMENTS

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF %

COMPETITION

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

BRONZE MEDA

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED BEEF FULLBLOOD

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION WAGYU BRAND

COMPETITION

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WAGYU BRANDED

BEEF

2017

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

JUDGES COMMENTS

2017

WAGYU GOURMET PMS = 875C WAGYU SAUSAGE BRANDED

CROSSBRED WAGYU

CROSSBRED COMPETITION WAGYU

COMPETITION

WAGYU GOURMET PMS = 877C WAGYU SAUSAGE BRANDED

WAGYU 100 %

SILVER MEDAL

WAGYU WAGYU 2017 PMS = 871C 2017 PMS = 871C BRANDED BRANDED GRAND CHAMPION GOURMET BEEF BEEF WAGYU BRAND WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

2017

WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU 2017 2017 BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL BEEF that’sBEEF tender, lasting juiciness,BEEF

Excellent. Clean beefy taste. Very well COMPETITION clean and fresh flavour with perfect light buttery finish. CHAMPION 2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

WAGYU 100 %

WAGYU GOLD MEDAL BRANDED BEEF 2017

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

2017

CHAMPION WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED WAGYU STEAK WAGYU STEAK BEEF BEEF BEEF 2017 COMPETITION GRAND COMPETITION COMPETITION CHAMPION WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU BRANDBRONZE GOLD MEDAL WAGYU SILVER MEDAL MEDAW BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED BEEF 2017 BEEF BEEF 2017 2017

2017 WAGYU GRAND CHAMPION PMS = 871C PMS = 871C WAGYU BRAND

Marbling 33% Fineness of marbling index 2.3 Rib Eye Area 96.0

Breeder Saltbush Ag

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL

COMPETITION GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL

JUDGES COMMENTS

SCORE 673

Approx. days on feed 365 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients Wheat, Barley, Corn Silage, Hay Target market % Domestic 20% Export 80% Target carcase wt. range 400-450 kg Processor John Dee

COMPETITION

WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED BEEF BEEF BEEF COMPETITION COMPETITION

Marbling 26% Fineness of marbling index 18.0 Rib Eye Area 84.0

Breeder Wentworth Cattle Co.

WAGYU 100

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION

SCORE 682

Approx. days on feed 400 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients N/A Target market % Domestic 10% Export 90% Target carcase wt. range 420 kg Processor Oakey Beef Exports

WAGYU 100

WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED BEEFWAGYU BEEF WAGYU COMPETITION COMPETITION BRANDED BRANDED BEEF BEEF

WAGYU BRANDED PMS = 871C BEEF

Marbling 28% Fineness of marbling index 1.9 Rib Eye Area 97.0

Breeder Stockyard

GOLD MEDAL 2017 PMS = 871C SILVER PMS = MEDA 871C 2017 GRAND2017 CHAMPION FULLBLOOD FULLBLOOD WAGYU BRAND % %

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

SCORE 722

Approx. days on feed 400+ Approx. age at slaughter N/A Feed ingredients NA Target market % Domestic 10% Export 90% Target carcase wt. range 400 kg HSCW Processor John Dee

CHAMPION

COMPETITION flavour “the

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

BRANDED BEEF

CHAMPION COMPETITION COMPETITION

COMPETITION

Marbling 32% Fineness of marbling index 1.8 Rib Eye Area 90.0

Breeder Australian Agricultural Company (AACo)

BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

Extremely tender, yet still firm to the palate. Juicy, silky, enduring

COMPETITION

WAGYU WAGYU COMPETITION

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

JUDGES COMMENTS

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

SCORE 748

Approx. days on feed 300 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients Raised on natural grasses. Finished on a ration including wheat, sorghum and molasses. Target market % Domestic N/A Export 100% Target carcase wt. range 400 kg Processor JBS Beef City

COMPETITION

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

Marbling 49% Fineness of marbling index 1.8 Rib Eye Area 118.0

Breeder Andrews Meat Industries

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

PMS = 871C

COMPETITION

AUSTRALIAN WAGYU 33MEDAL GOLD MEDAL SILVER UPDATE MEDAL BRONZE 2017

2017

GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAGE

COMPETITION PMS2017 = 875C

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WAG BRAN BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100 %

FULLB WAGY

WAGYU BRANDED PMS = 871C BEEF

WAG BRAN PM BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER

COMPETITION

AWARD WINNERS

COMPETITION

CLASS 3 COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK (MARBLE SCORE 5-7)

2017

PMS = 871C

EXHIBITOR / BRAND

CLASS 3 RESULTS

BRAND Westholme

SCORE 671

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

Marbling 37% Fineness of marbling index 2.7 Rib Eye Area 82.0

EXHIBITOR / BRAND

Approx. days on feed 300 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients Raised on natural grasses. Finished on a ration including wheat, sorghum and molasses. Target market % Domestic 0% Export 100% Target carcase wt. range 400 kg CLASS RESULTS Processor3JBS Beef City

BRAND Hughes Pastoral

SCORE 662

Breeder Australian Agricultural Company (AACo) Sire N/A Dam AACo Composite Wagyu content F1 - 50% min.

COMPETITION

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

Breeder Hughes Pastoral Sire commercial purebred Dam commercial purebred Wagyu content Purebred - 93 +%

BRAND Jacks Creek

JUDGES COMMENTS

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

CHAMPION

WAGYU GOLD MEDAL BRANDED BEEF 2017

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

Sire TBA Dam F1 - 50% min. angus base Wagyu content F2 - 75% min.

BRAND The Phoenix

COMPETITION CHAMPION

2017 WAGYU BRANDED GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND BEEF

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS “Beef bomb”, mild to palate, smooth, silky to palate

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

Sire N/A Dam F1 - 50% Wagyu content F2 - 75%

BRAND Diamantina

Breeder Stanbroke Sire N/A Dam N/A Wagyu content F1 - 50%

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

COMPETITION

COMPETITION FULLBLOOD

WAGYU 100 %

FULLBLOOD COMPETITION

FULL COMPE

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER

WAGYU 100 %

CHAMPION

BEEF

COMPETITION

Silky, very juicy, caramel flavour, cereal aroma.

WAGY

20 P WAG

GOU BRA WAGYU

BEEF

COMP

WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED GOLD MEDAL BRANDED SILVER MEDAL BRONZ BEEF BEEF 2017 COMPETITION

CROSSBRED WAGYU

2017 COMPETITION

CROSSBRED WAGYU

CROS WA

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WAG BRA BEEF

WAGYU GOLD MEDAL

WAGYU SILVER MEDAL

WA BRONZ

COMPETITION

BRANDED 2017 BEEF

COMMERCIAL COMPETITION WAGYU STEAK

GOLD MEDAL 2017 WAGYU FULLBLOOD BRANDED WAGYU 100 % BEEF

COMPETITION

PMS = 871C

WAGYU GOLD MEDAL

BRANDED 2017 BEEF

COMMERCIAL COMPETITION WAGYU STEAK

SILVER MEDAL 2017 WAGYU FULLBLOOD BRANDED WAGYU 100 % BEEF

COMPETITION

PMS = 871C

COMP

BR BE2

COMM COM WAGY

BRON

WAG FU BRA WA BEEF

COMP

COMPETITION 2017

CROSSBRED WAGYU

COMPETITION 2017

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WAGYU GOLD MEDAL BRANDED BEEF 2017

SILVER MEDAL BRANDED

WAGYU STEAK

COMPETITION

COMPETITION COMMERCIAL

COMPETITION

WAGYU BEEF 2017

COMPETITION COMMERCIAL

CR W

WA BR BE

COM

BRON BR

COM COM

WAG

SILVER MEDAL

BRON

2017 WAGYU GRAND CHAMPION BRANDED WAGYU BRAND

WAGYU FULLBLOOD BRANDED WAGYU 100 % BEEF

2017

WAGYU FULLBLOOD BRANDED WAGYU 100 % BEEF

2017

WA FU BR WA BE

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

COMP

WAGYU WAG SILVER MEDAL BRONZ BRANDED BRAN 2017 2 BEEF BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

CHAMPION 2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

COMPETITION

COM

WAGYU WAGYU WA GOLDPMS MEDAL BRON = 871C SILVER PMS =MEDAL 871C BRANDED BRANDED BRP BEEF BEEF BE 2017 2017

COMPETITION GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAGE

COM GO WAG

GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL BRON WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED 2017 2017 BEEF CROSSBRED BEEFCROSSBRED CR

COMPETITION WAGYU COMPETITION WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WA BR BE

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRON

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF WAGYU STEAK

CHAMPION WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF GRAND CHAMPION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF

SILVER MEDAL

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF

BRON

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRON

GOURMET BEEF WAGYU SAUSAGE

GO BE WAG

Courser grain. Very juicy, full flavoured, excellent aftertaste, good beefy aroma. GOLD FirmMEDAL to the bite SILVER MEDAL but enjoyably chewy. A good sense of satisfaction from the flavour. Exciting to the taste 2017 bud! 2017

BRON

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRAND COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL

WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMPETITION

COMPETITION

WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMPETITION

WA BR COM BE WAG

COM

WA BR FU BE

WA COM

WA BR

COM

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WA BR BE

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRON

COMPETITION

CR W

COM

2017

COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK

COM WAG

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WA BR BE

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRON

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

2017

GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAGE

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF WAGYU STEAK

COM

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

SCORE 640 Marbling 24% Fineness of marbling index 2.4 Rib Eye Area 70.0 Approx. days on feed 300 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients Wheat, barley, corn silage, barley silage, hay, molasses, cottonseed, vitamins and minerals. Target market % Domestic 0% Export 100% Target carcase wt. range 390-420 kg Processor Stanbroke

20 WAG COMM BRA WAGYU BEEF

BEEF

CHAMPION

BEEF

Marbling 18% Fineness of marbling index 1.5 Rib Eye Area 86.0

Breeder Wentworth Cattle Co

2017 WAGYU

COMMERCIAL BRANDED WAGYU STEAK

COMPE

WAGYU WA SILVER MEDAL BRONZ BRANDED BRANDED BR 2017 2017 2017 BEEF BE2 CHAMPION withGRAND a beefy blast. BEEF GOURMET GOURMET GOU COMPETITION WAGYU COMPETITION COM WAGYU BRAND WAGYU SAUSAGE WAGYU SAUSAGE WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL BRON BEEF BEEF BEEF CHAMPION

COMPETITION

SCORE 642

Approx. days on feed 400 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients N/A Target market % Domestic 10% Export 90% Target carcase wt. range 420 kg Processor Oakey Beef Exports

SILVER

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

CROS WA

GOLD MEDAL

BEEF

COMPETITION

COMPE

WAG BRAN BEEF

2017 2017= 871C PMS = 871C PMS WAGYU WAGYU GRAND CHAMPION GOURMET BRANDED WAGYUBRANDED BRAND WAGYU SAUSAGE

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

Wonderful clean and caramel aroma, very tender beef with cereal flavour and very juicy.

Marbling 24% Fineness of marbling index 2.4 Rib Eye Area 79.0

Breeder David Warmoll

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

SCORE 642

Approx. days on feed 450 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients Hay, corn, wheat, meals, molasses. Special feed Corn hominy. Target market % Domestic 10% Export X90% Target carcase wt. range 410 kg Processor Nth Cooperative Meat Company

WAGYU2017 BRANDED BEEFCROSSBRED WAGYU

COMPETITION

Marbling 26.0% Fineness of marbling index 1.9 Rib Eye Area 80.0 Approx. days on feed 300 Approx. age at slaughter 28 months Feed ingredients Barley, wheat, straw, supplement, molasses, silage. Target market % Domestic N/A Export N/A Target carcase wt. range 400 kg Processor John Dee

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPE

COMPETITION

Enjoyably chewy and silky, good juiciness (lasting), earthy rounded flavour.

COMPETITION

COM

GO WAG

BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

2017

FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100 %

PMS = 871C WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

PMS = 877C WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION

EXHIBITOR / BRAND

CLASS 3 RESULTS

BRAND Tajima Wagyu

SCORE 617

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

Marbling 23% Fineness of marbling index 2.2 Rib Eye Area 91.0

Sire Multiple sire joined Dam Angus EXHIBITOR / BRAND Wagyu content F1 - 50%

Approx. days on feed 375 Approx. age at slaughter 27 months Feed ingredients Barley, wheat & other Target market % Domestic 15% Export 85% Target carcase wt. range 380+ kg CLASS RESULTS Processor3JBS Riverina

BRAND Stockyard Silver Wagyu

SCORE 609

Breeder N/A

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

COMPETITION

Breeder N/A Sire N/A Dam N/A Wagyu content N/A

BRAND First Growth

Sire N/A Dam N/A Wagyu content Purebred - 93 +%

BRAND Robbins Island Wagyu

Breeder Hammond Farms Sire N/A Dam Angus Wagyu content F5

AWARD WINNER

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMMERCIAL COMMERCIAL COMPETITION COMPETITION WAGYU STEAK WAGYU STEAK

2017 WAGYU BRANDED FULLBLOOD WAGYU BEEF100%

COMPETITION

CHAMPION 2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

COMPETITION

CROSSBRED COMPETITION CROSSBRED COMPETITION

COMPETITION

WAGYU

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

COMPETITION

WAGYU

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF WAGYU 100 %

2017 BRANDED GRAND CHAMPION BEEF WAGYU BRAND COMPETITION

CHAMPION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF WAGYU 100 %

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED COMMERCIAL BEEF WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

BRONZE MEDAL

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

GOURMET BEEF WAGYU SAUSAGE

WAGYU

COMPETITION

WAGYU PMS = 871C 2017 BRANDED COMPETITION

WAGYU PMS = 877C 2017 BRANDED

WAGYU WAGYU GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL BRONZE MEDAL BRANDED BRANDED 2017 2017 BEEF BEEF 2017 CROSSBRED COMPETITION CROSSBRED COMPETITION WAGYU

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

GOLD MEDAL WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF COMMERCIAL

SILVER MEDAL

WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF COMMERCIAL

BRONZE MEDAL

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

COMPETITION

WAGYU

2017 BRANDED GRAND CHAMPION BEEF WAGYU BRAND

COMPETITION

WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED FULLBLOOD BEEF WAGYU 100 % COMPETITION

Visually juicy, light beefy aroma. Slightly fibrous with an earthy flavour. CHAMPION GOLD MEDAL 2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

WAGYU WAGYU 2017 2017 BRANDED BRANDED FULLBLOOD FULLBLOOD BEEF % WAGYU 100=%871C BEEF WAGYU PMS PMS =100 871C COMPETITION

COMPETITION

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MEDAL

GOLD MEDAL

COMPETITION

SILVER MEDAL

2017

CROSSBRED WAGYU

2017

CHAMPION

COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK 2017

Enjoyably chewy, initial juiciness, buttery, toasty flavour. CHAMPION

WAGYU STEAK COMPETITION

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED 2017 BEEF COMMERCIAL

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

COMPETITION

GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL 2017 GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAGE

CLASS 4 GOURMET SAUSAGE

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF WAGYU COMPETITION BRANDED BEEF

BRONZE MEDAL

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF WAGYU COMPETITION BRANDED BEEF

SILVER MEDAL BRONZE MEDAL COMPETITION COMPETITION 2017

GOLD MEDAL

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WAGYU BRANDED BEEF WAGYU COMPETITION BRANDED BEEF

SILVER MEDAL BRONZE MEDAL COMPETITION COMPETITION 2017

GOLD MEDAL GOURMET

WAGYU 2017 SAUSAGE

2017

CLASS 4 RESULTS

BRAND Craig Cook’s Prime Quality Meats

SCORE 1159

Exhibitor Craig Cook’s Prime Quality Meats

Variety Tova Platinum - Homemade sensational sizzling Wagyu sausage Ingredients Wagyu trim, sausage meal, shallots, chives, onion, cracked pepper, and iced water Flavours Sausage meal Sales/month 100 kg Other Wagyu trim products Wagyu burgers

DIGITAL IMAGE of ENTRY

SILVER MEDAL GOURMET

WAGYU SAUSAGE 2017

WAGYU BRANDE BEEF

COMPETITIO

BRONZE MED 2017

FULLBLOOD WAGYU 100

WAGYU BRANDE BEEF

COMPETITIO

BRONZE MED 2017

CROSSBRED WAGYU

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WAGYU BRANDE BEEF

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MED

COMPETITION

EXHIBITOR / BRAND

PMS = 877

WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED 2017 2017 2017 WAGYU WAGYU WAGYU BEEF BEEF BEEF GOURMET BRANDED GOURMET BRANDED GOURMET BRANDED WAGYU SAUSAGE WAGYU SAUSAGE WAGYU SAUSAGE COMPETITION COMPETITION COMPETITION BEEF BEEF BEEF

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF WAGYU COMPETITION BRANDED BEEF

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

PMS = 875C

COMPETITION

WAGYU

COMPETITION

PMS = 875C

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL

PMS = 871C 2017 flavour, pretty 2017 Very tender, very juicy, nice rounded flavour. GRAND Clean tasty. BRANDED CHAMPION

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2017 WAGYU

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COMPETITION COMPETITION feel niceSAUSAGE and clean. WAGYU WAGYU SAUSAGE COMPETITION WAGYU SAUSAGE

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

BRONZE MEDAL

WAGYU WAGYU GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL BRONZE MEDAL BRANDED BRANDED 2017 2017 BEEF BEEF 2017

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

2017 WAGYU BRANDED FULLBLOOD WAGYU BEEF100%

GOLD MEDAL WAGYU SILVER MEDAL WAGYU BRONZE MEDAL WAGYU PMS = 871C PMS = 871C PMS = 877C BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED 2017 2017 2017 BEEF BEEF BEEF GOURMET GOURMET GOURMET

COMPETITION

SCORE 581

COMPETITION

SILVER MEDAL

Enjoyably niceof and juicy, good flavour, good mouth DIGITALchewy, IMAGE ENTRY

JUDGES COMMENTS

COMPETITION

GOLD MEDAL

COMPETITION

SCORE 606

Marbling 21% Fineness of marbling index 1.7 Rib Eye Area 83.0 Approx. days on feed 400 Approx. age at slaughter 30 months Feed ingredients Barley and oats Special feed Kelp extract sourced from Bass Strait Target market % Domestic 20% Export 80% Target carcase wt. range 400 kg Processor Greenham Tasmania

CROSSBRED WAGYU

COMMERCIAL COMPETITION WAGYU STEAK

WAGYU 2017 BRANDED GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND BEEF

Marbling 23% Fineness of marbling index 1.9 Rib Eye Area 81.0

Breeder Irongate Wagyu

WAGYU

CHAMPION

WAGYU BRAND

Approx. days on feed 450 Approx. age at slaughter N/A Feed ingredients N/A Target market % Domestic 10% Export 90% Target carcase wt. range 450 kg Processor V&V Walsh

WAGYU

GOLD MEDAL WAGYU SILVER MEDAL WAGYU BRONZE MEDAL WAGYU BRANDED BRANDED BRANDED BEEF2017 BEEF2017 BEEF2017

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

PMS = 875C

COMPETITION

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

COMPETITION

COMPETITION COMPETITION CROSSBRED CROSSBRED

Marbling 28% Fineness of marbling index 2.7 Rib Eye Area 81.0 Approx. days on feed 400 + Approx. age at slaughter N/A Feed ingredients N/A Target market % Domestic 10% Export 90% Target carcase wt. range 400 kg Processor N/A

COMPETITION

WAGYU WAGYU GOLD MEDAL SILVER MEDAL BRONZE MEDAL BRANDED BRANDED BEEF BEEF 2017 2017 2017

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS

COMPETITION

CROSSBRED WAGYU

COMPETITIO

2017

COMMERCIAL WAGYU STEAK

COMMERCIA WAGYU STEA

WAGYU BRANDED BEEF

WAGYU BRANDE BEEF

CHAMPION

GOLD MEDAL

SILVER MEDAL

BRONZE MED

2017 GRAND CHAMPION WAGYU BRAND

2017

GOURMET WAGYU SAUSAGE

COMPETITION

JUDGES COMMENTS Great visual appearance, chive and onion complimented the beef beautifully. Well seasoned, good meaty texture. THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

2017

COMPETITIO 2017

GOURMET WAGYU SAUSA

INDUSTRY LEADERS ANSWER THE QUESTIONS Red hot premiums for crossbred cattle with Wagyu content is fuelling big interest from many corners of the beef breeding business as feedlotters and branded beef exporters scramble to secure supply to fill lucrative overseas orders.

Wagyu over Angus females has led the way, Shorthorn crosses have also been very successful, in the dairy sector Holstein Wagyu calves are developing a big following and now northern Brahman breeders are well in on the act. Market analysts Mecardo say F1 Wagyu prices have spent most of the past three years trading 75 to 95 per cent higher than the Eastern Young Cattle Indicator. Analyst and livestock trading manager Matt Dalgleish said Wagyu’s position as a premium product and the fact it was highly sought after overseas, particularly in the Japanese market, went a long way to explaining that spread. In recent times, the search for premium or niche markets within Australia’s beef industry had possibly amplified that effect, he said. The Australian Wagyu conference in Albury in May had some hefty predictions for production growth in the next few years. By 2020, the forecast is for 821,000 Wagyu joinings, which will be 5.7per cent of the female beef herd. How much extra supply would have to come through the pipeline in order to put downward pressure on premiums is very much an unknown at the moment. Given consumer research is indicating growth in demand for high end beef, Australia’s top beef marketers say it’s unlikely there will be any saturation in the near future. For those contemplating joining the revolution, the big issues revolve around what is the best approach, should it be F1s, F2s or more and how Australia’s beef supply chain will cope. A panel of Wagyu industry leaders fielded those questions in what was one of the highlights of the Albury conference.

Shan Goodwin Fairfax Agricultural Media

Patrick Warmoll, managing director of NSW operation Jack’s Creek, at Breeza, which has won the World’s Best Steak two years in a row with a Wagyu cross, said F1s dominated the overseas demand. “After the global crisis, the main group left in Japan has structured their marketing around an F1 Angus Wagyu cross,” he explained. >>> page 38

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Image courtesy: DestinationsNSW

2017 AWA Conference

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200

400

600

EBV

-1.2

-1.4

-3

-2

-5

Acc

75%

93%

91%

87%

88%

MCW

MILK

CWT

EMA

RIB

RUMP

-6

-3

77%

64%

RBY

-0.8

-9

+3.7

-0.0

+0.7 +2.0 +0.59

66%

84%

65%

75%

67%

84%

LONGFORD 004

WKSFMO164 WORLD K’S MICHIFUKU

WKSFMO 139 WORLD K’s HARUKI-2

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600

MCW

MILK

CWT

EMA

RIB

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RBY

EBV

+1.2 +4.3

+22

+36

+45

+40

+2.2

+29

+1.6

-2.6

-4.0

+2.1

-0.2 +0.06

Acc

80%

96%

94%

95%

88%

92%

85%

89%

90%

83%

77%

96%

WESTHOLME HIRASHIGETAYASU Z278

71%

SIRE - IMJFA12351 HIRASHIGETAYASU ETJ001 GRAND SIRE IMJFAJ2810 KITATERUTASUDOI ETJ003 GGS IMJFA2703 ITOMORITAKA ETJ002

b.robertsthomson@bigpond.com

Barbara Roberts-Thomson

www.academyredwagyu.com

Armidale NSW 2350

02 6772 1856

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

<<< from page 36 “They have found the performance, compared to an F2 or F3, more commercially viable - they are getting adequate marbling and high weight carcases.”

marbling is what sells the product,” he said.

NSW Wagyu seedstock producer Peter Krause, Sunnyside Wagyu at Inverell, said a lot of feedlot space in Australia traditionally taken by Angus was now going to Wagyu F1s.

Asked if there would be enough feedlot space to cope with the expansion of Wagyu F1s, Mr Moore said the market would adjust.

“It astounds me what feedlots have been able to do in the past three or four years with Wagyu,” he said.

“If it is profitable for everyone in the supply chain people will take less profitable cattle out of the feedlot system,” he said.

“In the early days, no one knew what they were doing and a marble score of five was considered so special it warranted a call from the feedlot manager.

The six to nine marble score was the most desired worldwide, particularly now Wagyu was more than just a niche breed, Mr Warmoll said.

“But today the expectation is a marble score of five and above and they are doing it consistently.

“To most people, what Wagyu means is a marbling breed,” he said.

“Due to the traits in Angus and Shorthorn, the propensity is there to grab hold of the Wagyu marbling gene and make something special.”

“If you don’t have a contract and want to produce for multiple markets, I’d stick with an Angus base in the south and if you’re in the north go with a bit higher Wagyu content because that is going to bring the marbling and enable you to sell to more.”

Northern commercial producer Peter Hughes, Hughes Pastoral in Queensland and the Northern Territory, said the thing about the first cross was it’s important to breed cattle that have been in an area for a generation.

“Our aim is to work out how we go forward to get more marbling.”

The markets that have been growing rapidly, such as China, would continue to do so, he said.

“It doesn’t matter if you have Brahman or another breed, if you start with cattle that have already been successful, you can put Wagyu bulls in and the big lift in the first crop is your females,” he said.

“Because we sell a chilled product into China, there is less opportunity for them to build you up and tear you down like they can do with frozen product that can be stockpiled, so we have that advantage,” Mr Warmoll said.

“With the steers you produce, there is no need to feed them because of the hybrid vigour - you will get as much out of them as what you are breeding now.

“There is also big potential in America, where there is talk about the opportunity for a 90-day chilled Wagyu product.

“But when you take those first cross females and cross Wagyu back again, you’re really starting to cook with gas.” What is lost in hybrid vigour as the crossbreeding continues is picked up in consistent marbling, he said. “With the first cross, you’ll get anything from a nine to a 0 but your average will be pretty ordinary. As you go further up the ladder and the marbling is more consistent - a lot more fives and sixes.” Mr Hughes said if you give Wagyu cattle an inch “they will give you back five inches.” “Whatever you do for them that is good they will give it back many times over,” he said.

MARBLING IS KEY Marbling should be top of the priority list, Wagyu branded beef exporters have told breeders. Andrew Moore, marketing manager at Rangers Valley, Glen Innes, one of the world’s most respected premium marbled beef producers, said marbling was key for his company. Rangers Valley feeds both Wagyu Holstein crosses and Wagyu Angus. “Our customers, be they chefs or retailers, are telling us 38

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

“They are not going to take full sets but if we can get a topside or silverside or a chuck or brisket for burgers, all that bodes really well for Wagyu.” Asked if there was an opportunity for grassfed Wagyu, Mr Warmoll said: “There might be a niche feeding market in Sydney for it but I don’t there will be a sustainable market we can all produce for.”

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UNDERSTANDING THE IMPORTANCE OF EBVs As the Wagyu breed gathers momentum and evolves in Australia, demand for superior genetics has increased dramatically. So far this year Wagyu bulls in the top percentile bands for Terminal Carcase Index have sold for $105,000 and $88,000. These rate among the top sales of all breeds.

Carel Teseling Article adapted from TECH TALK - June 2017

This article explains how EBVs are calculated. Take time to study these explanations. The saying “You only get out of something what you put into it” is particularly true of performance recording for genetic evaluation purposes. While it is possible to get Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) for animals which have little or no performance data recorded, this article explains the benefits of recording as much trait information as you can.

progeny, it is impossible to conclude that BULL

Specifically, this article will discuss:

these factors can occur between properties,

1. How trait recording enables the estimation of genetic merit 2. How recording more information increase EBV accuracy 3. Why identifying curve benders is impossible without recording 4. Why recording is still important even when genomic information is available

(B) has superior genetics or if his progeny’s heavier weights are purely a function of the environment in which they were raised (on irrigated pasture). Nutrition is just one of the many environmental factors that can influence production traits. It is important to note that between mobs or even within the same mob on one property. Classic within mob examples being the presence of twins or individuals being sick or injured in an otherwise healthy herd. BREEDPLAN analysis removes the environment factors from each animal’s raw performance calculating the Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs). BREEDPLAN uses

5. How trait records can be used for nongenetic purposes

three sources of information to calculate

6. How to find out what traits have been recorded for each animal on the BREEDPLAN database

individual itself and its recorded relatives) and,

7. The value of recording traits for which BREEDPLAN does not currently calculate EBVs.

different management groups (e.g. the scenario

the results; pedigree, trait records (from the for some breeds, genomic information. To allow BREEDPLAN to compare animals in given in Figure 1), there needs to be a genetic link between each group and/or property.

In Figure 1, we compare three bulls from three different properties. Based solely on the raw average yearling weights of each bull’s

Figure 2 (see page 42) shows at 400-days of age, BULL (A's) progeny is 10 kg heavier, on average, to the link sire’s progeny; BULL (B's) progeny is 10 kg lighter, on average, to the link sire’s progeny and BULL (C's) progeny is 20 kg heavier, on average, to the progeny of the link sire. Given that the genetic merit of the link sire does not change we can deduce that BULL (A) and (C) are genetically superior to the link sire for 400-day weight (any difference in average 400-day weight of the link sire’s progeny on each property is due to environmental factors). BULL (B) is genetically inferior to the link sire for 400-day weight. We expect the 400-day weight EBVs result to show BULL (A) will be higher, BULL (B) will be lower and BULL (C) will be significantly higher than the 400-day weight EBV of the link sire. >>>

FIGURE 1 The average progeny yearling weight of Bull (A), Bull (B) and Bull (C), where the progeny were breed and raised on different properties.

ESTIMATING THE GENETIC MERIT OF AN ANIMAL With genetics, what we see is not always what we get; environment factors have a considerable influence on most production traits. Therefore, we can't simply say that all observed differences in performance between animals are due to their genetics. Different environments and/or different management groups also play a role.

A sire used in multiple groups, regardless of the group (or environment) he is used in, passes on the same genetic merit to its progeny. Therefore, by comparing the progeny of the link sire against the progeny of BULL (A), (B) and (C) on each individual property, we can calculate the relative genetic merit of the bulls involved.

AVE. YEARLING WEIGHT of progeny (kg)

350 C A 300 BULL A

BULL B

(dryland farm)

(irrigated farm)

BULL C

(dryland farm, better area) THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

<<<

RECORDING, EBVs and TRAIT SELECTION INCREASING ACCURACY OF EBVs AND YOUR BREEDING ANIMAL SELECTION

FIGURE 2 Average adjusted progeny performance for the 3 different sires (red circles) bench marked against the average adjusted progeny performance of the link sire (black circles).

from performance that has been recorded on correlated traits, generally speaking, EBVs will be of lower accuracy if animals have not been directly recorded for the trait of interest. By definition, an EBV is an estimate of an animal’s true breeding value. The higher

WEIGHT DIFFERENCE (kg)

While it is possible to generate reliable EBVs

20 10

-10

(dryland farm)

values, lowering the likelihood of change

or relatives. Ultimately with greater EBV

Consider these animals ANIMAL (A) - NO trait records (no birth weight or 200-day weight). ANIMAL (B) -a correlated trait record (200-day weight) BUT no record for the

80 60 40 20 0 No birth weight recorded

trait in question (birth weight). ANIMAL (C) -a record for the trait in question (birth weight) BUT no correlated trait record (200-day weight). Indicative EBV accuracies for ANIMAL (A), ANIMAL (B) and ANIMAL (C) are displayed in Figure 3. It is important to note that

»» EBV accuracy is improved by recording

Due to the strong genetic relationships between especially growth traits, we expect selection for high growth animals would lead to an increase in both birth and mature weights, even if no selection emphasis is placed on birth and/or mature weight. This would in turn have undesirable consequences for calving ease and mature cow feed requirements. ‘curve benders’ is a term used to describe animals that do not follow the normal trend (e.g. high growth associated with high birth weight), but ‘bend the curve’ (e.g. are high growth but have low/ moderate birth weight).

as much data as possible. »» If recording a trait is not practical (e.g.

EBV accuracies for an animal will vary

recording a correlated trait is beneficial

depending on a number of factors.

though not as effective as recording the

2. EBV accuracy of the parents, 3. amount of performance information available, 4. effectiveness of the performance information (e.g. contemporary group structure) and 5. genetic correlation with other measured traits. For example, we would expect that the EBV accuracies would be lower for traits (e.g. fertility) that are less

actual trait. »» Using information from correlated traits is also ineffective if you are trying to select against the known relationships between traits. See section Identifying ‘Curve Bender’ for more detail. »» To collect effective information for BREEDPLAN analysis, breeders should aim to have a minimum contemporary group size of six to ten animals, with at least two sires represented in each contemporary group. Larger groups are better.

heritable than birth weight. Equally, if

BREEDPLAN can analyse up to 2 weights

the genetic correlation between the two

for each of the 200, 400 and 600-day

traits was lower, then the difference in

weights, and up to 4 mature cow weights

EBV accuracy between ANIMAL (B) and

per animal. Recording repeated records can

ANIMAL (C) would be greater.

improve the accuracy of the resulting EBV.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Own birth weight recorded

IDENTIFYING ‘CURVE BENDERS’

expensive or difficult to measure), then

1. heritability of a trait,

Correlated trait information only

The take home messages from these results are:

these values are indicative only, as the exact

These factors include:

BULL C

(dryland farm, better area)

100 EXPECTED BIRTH WEIGHT EBV ACCURACY (%)

genetic improvement.

(irrigated farm)

FIGURE 3 The expected Birth Weight EBV accuracy for three animals with differing levels of trait recording.

accuracy, more informed and reliable selection decisions can be made to achieve

B BULL B

accurate predictions of animals true breeding

is analysed for that animal, its progeny

-20

the accuracy of an EBV results in more

in the animal’s EBV as more information

Fortunately, the correlations that govern these relationships are not absolute and are calculated from the average of the population. Therefore if a breeder records both traits, they are able to identify individuals that deviate from the average correlation, and thus find animals that bend the growth curve. However, in situations where the breeder does not record both traits, the BREEDPLAN analysis has to rely on pedigree information and the correlations between traits to estimate >>> page 45

Target:

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Image taken at 22 month of age

GINJO SHIGEFUKU K921 (GINFK0921) Son of the sole 100% Tottori sire to leave Japan, K921 showcases a dam pedigree packed with proven carcass performance and additional, potent Tottori/Kedaka infusion: Dam/dam C868,a Hirashigetayasu daughter, is a flush sister to our growth/ marbling champion, Ginjo MarbleMax Hiranami B901. Dam/sire ECHFB1001, an Itomoritaka son, was our second most consistent producer of high growth, high marbling carcasses. All FB progeny will be rare: ~37% Tottori.

Image taken at 22 month of age

GINJO HATSHIRA K930 (GINFK0930) Son of a proven ‘97-drop, first ‘international’ generation Kitateruyasudoi son, K930 maintains the 003 high performance tradition. But with a massive bonus in the rare genetics of sire/dam Hatsuhi, probably the best of very few high Tottori females to come from Japan with Westholme. MarbleMax B901 is dam/sire, and a massive TF148-infused, Itoshigefuji daughter is dam/dam. With balanced Hyogo (~43%), Tottori (~31%) and Itozakura bloodlines, K930 offers exciting potential to the serious breeder.

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Founding Member – Australian Wagyu Forum www.australianwagyuforum.com.au GW_AUWAG_Mar16_wƒ080316.indd 1

8/03/2016 2:50 PM

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Wagyou Media Advert July 2017.indd 1

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

10/07/2017 1:32:18 PM

<<< from page 42 the missing breeding value(s). In these circumstances, identifying ‘curve benders’ is not possible. For example, if birth weight isn’t recorded then the Birth Weight EBV will be estimated based on the correlations with the 200, 400 and 600-day weight observations. Given that the correlations between the growth traits and birth weight are positive, an animal with high Growth EBVs will receive a high Birth Weight EBV. Thus, identifying ‘curve benders’ cannot occur.

RELEVANCE OF TRAIT RECORDING WHEN USING GENOMICS Genomic information will soon be incorporated into the WAGYU BREEDPLAN analysis. When this is implemented a genomic test will assist with the estimation of your animal’s genetic merit (in the form of BREEDPLAN EBVs). However, the accuracy of the genomic EBVs for your herd will depend on a number of factors, including how closely related your animals are to what is termed the ‘reference population’. The reference population is a group of animals which have both trait records and genotypes, and is critical for the success of genomic selection. Recording traits for your animals in addition to having genomic tests done will mean your animals will become part of the reference population. In turn, the genomic tests are likely to be more accurate for animals in your herd, thus increasing the accuracy of your breeding values and allowing you to make more genetic progress. For further information see the SBTS & TBTS Technical Note ‘A n Introduction to Genomic Selection’.

RECORDING ISN’T JUST FOR GENETIC PURPOSES The traits that you record can also serve a purpose outside of identifying the genetic merit of your herd. For example, the loss of weight in an individual can be an indicator of ill health, while weight loss in a whole mob can indicate that more feed is required. Recording your herd also allows you to benchmark where your herd is so that you can compare it against where you want to be and make appropriate management and strategic genetic decisions in order to reach your production system targets.

HOW CAN I TELL WHICH TRAITS AN ANIMAL HAS BEEN RECORDED FOR ON BREEDPLAN? The traits for which data has been submitted to BREEDPLAN are listed below the EBVs on the Individual Animal Page on Internet Solutions. An example of this is shown in Figure 4. In this particular example, the animal has had a calving ease score, a birth weight, two 200 day weights, a 400-day weight, a scrotal circumference and ultrasound scan data (eye muscle area, rib fat depth and rump fat depth) recorded with BREEDPLAN. Below the ‘Traits Observed’ listing it is also worth noticing that the animal has 688 progeny in 33 herds recorded, 351 of which have been scanned and 48 daughters with their own progeny recorded (grand progeny of the original animal listed). These progeny trait records also increase the accuracy of this animal’s EBVs.

for individual BREEDPLAN herds on Internet Solutions. This makes it possible to look at the general recording level within a herd by checking the individual herd’s Completeness of Performance Star rating. The star rating is a 1 to 5 scale (with 5 stars being the ‘gold standard’) and reflects how much data each breeder submits to BREEDPLAN.

WHAT HAPPENS IF BREEDPLAN DOESN’T CALCULATE EBVS FOR SOME OF THE TRAITS I WANT TO RECORD? There are a number of breeds for which the full range of BREEDPLAN EBVs is not yet available. This is usually due to the lack of sufficient records within these breeds to analyse for that trait. The most commonly unavailable are the Days to Calving, Calving Ease, Structural Soundness and Temperament EBVs. In addition, BREEDPLAN has recently commenced recording some new traits in some tropical breeds. These are Buffalo Fly Lesion Score, Tick Score and Coat Score. If either of the above scenarios apply to you and you already record that trait in your herd (e.g. Calving Ease EBVS not available but you record calving difficulty scores for calves), then this data can be submitted to BREEDPLAN for storage and potential use in future BREEDPLAN analyses. Remember, if the trait is important to you and/or your clients then make sure you are recording it! Contact Carel Teseling for further information on recording performance data. 02 6773 4222 or carel@wagyu.org.au

The Wagyu Association display the Completeness of Performance herd rating

FIGURE 4 Traits observed section on an Individual Animal Page on Internet Solutions.

GROUP BREEDPLAN

+17

+4.7

Days to calving (days) -3.8

ACC

80%

67%

98%

97%

96%

89%

87%

97%

55%

EBV

+0.2

+1.3

-0.2

+4.3

+30

+49

+70

+64

+14

+1.7

-2.4

EBV

Calving Calving Ease DIR Ease (%) DTRS (%) +0.2 +2.0

Gestation Birth Wt. 200-day 400-day 600-day Mat Cow length (kg) Wt. (kg) Wt. (kg) Wt. (kg) Wt. (kg) (days) -0.3 +6.6 +48 +78 +107 +89

Milk (kg)

Scrotal szie(cm)

Carcase Eye Muscle Rib Wt. (kg) Area(sq. Fat cm) (mm) +75 +5.6 +1.7 86%

78%

81%

Rump Fat (mm) +2.9 86%

BREED AVG. FOR 2015 BORN CALVES +45

+2.9

+0.4

+0.5

Traits observed: CE, BWT, 200WT (x2), 400WT, SS, FAT, EMA Statistics: Number of herds: 33, progeny analysed: 688, Scan progeny: 351, Number of Dtrs: 48 THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

RANKED AS TOP 1 % IN THE WAGYU BREED - FULLBLOOD TERMINAL INDEX

LFDFY0004 LFDFY0004 BIRTH DATE: 2 March 2003

LONGFORD 004 Y4 (004) is an ideal sire for lifting marbling in your Fullblood and F1 production SEMEN FOR SALE 1 - 10 doses 11 - 50 doses 51 doses +

$70 +GST $55 +GST $40 +GST

PEDFAJ10787 KIKUTERU DOI J10787 - KURO IKU

PEDFAJ1742 TERUNAGADOI 1742 IMJFAJ2810 KITATERUYASUDOI J2810 HONGEN (IMP JAP)

PEDFAJ240580 TERUNAHO J240580

PEDFAJ601124 YOSHIMI 3 601124

LFDFY0004 LONGFORD 004

(AI) (ET)

LONGFORD Y4 ranked in top 1% of breed for FULLBLOOD TERMINAL INDEX (FTI) with +$379 - meaning his input into a joining is predicted to bring in an extra $379.

semen not available for export

PEDFAJ206526 YOSHIMI J206526 - KURO IKU PEDFA201 MONJIRO J11550

WKSFM0164 WORLD K’S MICHIFUKU

LFDFT0480 LONGFORD MUTSU (AI) (ET)

PEDFAJ472 YASUTANI DOI J472 - KURO IKU

PEDFA215 MICHIKO J655635 (AI)

IMUFP0102 KANADAGENE 102D (IMP USA) (AI) (ET)

WKSFM0139 WORLD K’S HARUKI-2 WKSFL0976 WORLD K’S SUZUTANI 976

... Y4 - trait leader for both Gestation Length and Birth Weight ... Y4 - top 1% of breed for Birth Weight, Marble Score, Marble Fineness and Fullblood Terminal Index ... Y4 - top 5% for EMA ... Y4 - top 10% for Gestation Length and Retail Beef Yield Y4 ranks 5th in the breed for Marble Fineness (males only eg 5th highest marbling fineness bull in breed) and equal 6th in breed for Marble Score (males only eg equal 6th highest bull on marble score).

JUNE 2017 WAGYU BREEDPLAN EBVs

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

CWt EMA RIB RUMP RBY

-3

-2

-5

-6

-3

-0.8

-9

+3.7

+0.0

+0.7

Acc

75%

91%

87%

88%

78%

64%

66%

84%

65%

75%

67%

84%

FTI

72%

SC10820

93%

2.0 +0.59 $379

-1.2 -1.4

Sales enquiries, please contact JASON O’NEILL

BW 200 400 600 MCW MILK SS

EBV

phone 02 6723 7096

email colomendy@hughespastoral.com.au

ELITE WAGYU SALE

2017 CHARITY AUCTION MAKES $21,450 The charity auction at the 2017 Wagyu Expansion conference created great entertainment and raised $21,450 from generous bidders and generous donors. The proceeds were evenly divided between the Royal Flying Doctors’ Service and the Wagyu Fellowship program.

FELLOWSHIP

Wagyu bulls sold to $105,000 and a heifer in utero made $95,000 at the Elite Wagyu Sale at the 2017 Wagyu Expansion Conference in Albury NSW on May 3. Both set Australian record prices for the breed and stunned the 400 delegates in attendance. Both lots sit in the top one per cent of the breed’s Terminal Carcase Index (TCI) indicating the growing acceptance of Wagyu Breedplan figures generated by the rapidly expanding Wagyu database of growth, fertility and carcase information. Fourth generation Queensland cattle producer Ian Hewitt and his son Cameron went to $105,000 to obtain the two year old sire Mayura L0010 for their new Wagyu enterprise based at Hanging Rock Station, Charters Towers, Qld. Offered by the de Bruin family’s Mayura stud at Millicent SA, this sire is in the top one per cent of the breed for both TCI and marbling. The bull is in a semen collection center near Rockhampton before heading to his new home where a couple of thousand Shorthorn X Brahman cows will be joined to Wagyu each year with the F1 females retained to increase the Wagyu content in the herd. Ian Hewitt said they intended to become heavily involved in the Wagyu industry to elevate marbling levels and generate feedlotter interest in their cattle.

Image courtesy: Royal Flying Doctors Service

LOT 1

Wagyu degustation dinner for 10 at CHA CHA CHAR Bar and Grill

Purchased by Laird Morgan $6,000

LOT 2

SRS2 EID TRU-TEST stick reader Purchased by Peter Gilmour $1,000

LOT 3

XRS2 EID TRU-TEST stick reader Purchased by Patrick Joyce $2,000

LOT 4

450-days on feed for two Wagyu at MAYDAN FEEDLOT Purchased by Patrick Warmoll $4,500

LOT 5

4.2 kg DARLING DOWNS Wagyu striploin from AACo Purchased by Peter & Jane Hughes $4,500

LOT 6

ALL SAINTS exclusive wine pack Purchased by Rob Boulton $850

LOT 7

SARA STORER concert tickets and CD Purchased by Mitch Braithwaite $1,000

LOT 8

SWANNS VETERINARY SERVICE vaccination pack Purchased by Joe Grose $1,600

Hendrick Markram’s South African based Miku Wagyu, a relative newcomer to the Wagyu breed, paid $95,000 for a heifer in utero offered by Laird and Sonia Morgan, Arubial Pty Ltd, Condamine Qld. The buyer was on the telephone from South Africa giving bidding instructions to Jeremy Cooper of Wag-You dot com who said the heifer would remain in Australia to breed cattle that may be exported at some point in the future. Roger Hocking’s Summitt Agricutural, Albury, NSW, headed the volume buyers outlaying $86,200 for live cattle and genetic lots. The previously announced sale of semen from lot 32 for $28,000 per straw has been declared null and void by the relevant parties.

SALE AVERAGES »» 7 females averaged $25,570 »» 28 embryos averaged $2600/embryo »» 10 bulls averaged $20,799 »» 160 semen straws averaged $334/straw »» Sale gross $512,300 with a 92% clearance Agents were GDL Ruralco with Harvey Weyman-Jones and Peter Brazier taking the bids. The next Elite Wagyu Sale is scheduled as part of the Wagyu Edge conference in Mackay Queensland in the first week of May 2018. Entries will be called later this year. THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

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THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

WX 9

INVESTOR FUNDS WAGYU OPERATION Stone Axe Pastoral Company has moved a step closer to building its verticallyintegrated Fullblood Wagyu enterprise at its Cheviot Hills property, north Kojonup WA.

Mathew Walker (Cicero Group)founded Stone Axe Pastoral Company with James Robinson in 2014.

Leading investment manager Roc Partners (Roc) has purchased a major shareholding in the business for an undisclosed amount. Stone Axe Pastoral Company was founded by Cicero Group founders Mathew Walker and James Robinson in 2014, with a vision to create a purpose-built 30,000 head capacity beef abattoir and 20,000-head capacity beef feedlot, with a Fullblood Wagyu breeding herd to supply domestic and international markets. Roc is a leading alternative investment manager, specialising in private equity in the Asia Pacific region. It was established following the management buy-out of the Macquarie Group’s private markets business unit by its senior executives in June 2014. Roc manages more than $4.6 billion of assets, predominantly on behalf of Australia’s leading superannuation funds. The equity from the deal will help progress Stone Axe’s ultra-premium beef cattle enterprise. Mr Walker told Farm Weekly that Roc’s investment followed an extensive appraisal and due diligence process. “This commitment, from one of the pre-eminent investment managers in the Asia Pacific region, is deemed an endorsement of the business model and commercial opportunity,” Mr Walker said. “We are delighted to welcome them on board. “We are particularly delighted to have received this equity support from Australian superannuation funds, which have historically been limited participants in the agriculture sector, allowing the company to remain in Australian hands.” Roc partner and now Stone Axe chairman Michael Lukin said the company was delighted to partner with the Walker family and its plans to develop a world-leading, ultra-premium beef business “The Walker family pioneered the Australian Wagyu industry and their original Fullblood Wagyu herd imported from Japan accounts for over half of all Fullblood Wagyu animals to ever leave the country,” Mr Lukin said.

Jacinta Bolsenbroek Farm Weekly (WA)

“We believe the long history of the Walker family in the Wagyu industry, combined with equity investment from patient, long-term investors in Australian superannuation funds, will create a highly successful, marketleading business. >>> page 50 THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

<<< from page 49 “We also believe there will be further opportunities for capital investment through the Stone Axe platform as the popularity of the Wagyu breed continues to grow.”

In New South Wales, the company has an active

After gaining approvals last year, the company has been focused on the Roc investment deal and storing several thousand Wagyu embryos for the past six months.

Wagyu embryo calves with Angus recipient

The Wagyu beef production company already has planning approval for a 20,000-head capacity beef feedlot at the Cheviot Hills property, which was purchased in 2016, to build a feedlot and abattoir with high animal welfare standards. Kojonup shire accepted the company’s proposed scheme amendment to accommodate a processing facility without modification and other associated uses on a portion of the property. Mr Walker said the company hoped to submit more plans to the shire in September for the proposed abattoir. He said the works approvals, building approvals and construction phase would take some time, and in the meantime they were focused on building the herd and acquiring more Western Australian properties.

donor herd of more than 300 females, with its first embryo calves being delivered earlier last year. The unique program sees Stone Axe Fullblood mothers, which Mr Walker said were perfect mothering types. “A cow can produce about 20 embryos per month,” he said. “We are in a hurry to ramp up our numbers. “We intend to intensify our model to about 5000 transfers a year when we crank up – globally no one is doing this.”

We intend to intensify our model to about 5000 transfers a year when we crank up – globally no one is doing this.

Stone Axe’s breeding lines trace back to when Mr Walker’s father Chris pioneered the first bloodlines in Australia by purchasing and exporting 87 fullblood Wagyu cattle out of Japan during the 1990s. Using the same breeding line, Stone Axe plans to build up a big breeding herd and process about

In 2014 the Cheviot Hills property was granted a 634 megalitre groundwater licence from the Department of Water and in 2016, obtained works approval for a feedlot from the Department of Environment Regulation.

30,000 head annually of WA premium fullblood

Stone Axe has committed $25 million to build the feedlot and the abattoir would be a further largescale investment.

Subject to approvals, the company hoped that

The company’s abattoir plans include processing capability which would initially be open to local beef producers.

grainfed Angus and fullblood Wagyu and local

Other land purchases, possibly in WA’s south west, will be used for backgrounding Fullblood Wagyu and housing the donor recipient herd. Up to 2000 embryos will be transferred in the company’s proof-of-concept program, which is expected to start this spring and be trialled for a year before a full-scale ramp-up. The first donor recipients transplants at Kojonup will start this spring.

THE AUSTRALIAN WAGYU UPDATE

Wagyu. The donor herd will stay in NSW, but frozen embryos will be transported to the recipient herd in WA. by 2022 the abattoir would be running at full capacity with ultra-premium beef from certified cattle from neighbouring producers. Mr Walker said the company had gained a lot of support from the local shire and community. “This investment secures the financial future of the business and is a major step forward in the execution of the vision conceived only three years ago,’’ he said “We look forward to continued constructive engagement with all relevant authorities and community entities to see the project materialise.”

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