Integrity of Wagyu industry shines

INTEGRITY OF WAGYU INDUSTRY SHINES

ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The Australian Wagyu Association annual conference, WagyuEdge: Building Integrity has shown once again that it is a highlight of the Wagyu industry calendar – and for the beef sector.

Held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, 8-12 May, 430 delegates took full advantage of our Speaker presentations, networking opportunities, social events, Charity Auction, Wagyu Branded Beef Competition and records were broken in the Elite Wagyu National Sale.

Our first function for the annual conference, kicked off at The Adelaide Oval in a relaxed atmosphere.

In all, the aim of the conference was to build a conversation around Wagyu production and the supply chain, and with insights from the feedlot industry, the global and Japanese markets, and personal insights into performance and brand, delegates were given much to think about.

DAY 1

To acknowledge our 30-year anniversary, Keith Hammond of Robbins Island Wagyu, kicked off the conference with his personal reflections on the industry’s history. As a pastpresident in the early days, Keith has watched the industry evolve into a well-respected beef production from the days of the early pioneers through to relatively new players.

Monjiro was a famous bull in Japan and was still producing progeny 15 years after he died, having two of his best Sire progeny - Michifuku and Haruki 2 in our genetic pool, I knew it would be exciting... Keith Hammond

A personal reflection on our 30-year history by 3rd president, Keith Hammond.

To round out the importance of data and EBVs Catriona Millen of SBTS refreshed our knowledge on contemporary groups, outliers and the impacts on BREEDPLAN. A few delegates commented that while they had seen or read some of this information before, the style of presentation by Brad and Catriona made it clearer in their own minds how it could be applied to their Wagyu businesses.

Todd Andrews of NSW DPI introduced the Wagyu Feed Calculator App, which was launched at the Conference. Delegates were shown how the App is designed to assist producers define their supplementary feed needs for grass-fed cattle. Designed specifically for Wagyu, it takes into consideration animal weight and available pasture to determine rates of gain on pasture available, and supplementary feed requirements and cost to reach target feedlot entry points. To read more about the App, see page 16.

To round out the day, Berry Reynolds (Mort & Co), Andrew Mallow (Rangers Valley) and Steve Martin (Kerwee Feedlot) gave presentations on their perspective of how and where, the feedlot industry is going for Wagyu. A panel session followed allowing delegates to ask some of the hard questions about the future trends in Wagyu through the feedlot system. Some of the home truths to emerge from the Session was the need for quality genetics and to optimise nutrition prior to feedlot entry to ensure marbling is not impacted pre-feedlot and that carcase weight is realised to full market potential. This aligned well with the discussion on the Wagyu Feed Calculator App.

DAY 2

Our keynote Speaker, Hugh Killen, CEO of AACo shared the company’s approach to meeting the challenges faced by the industry. Outlining four key challenges, commoditisation; quality control; a changing customer base and the need for trust. Mr Killen sees AACo, which is primarily an export company, building trust with the consumer in the brand and understanding their wants and needs back to production and breeding.

As the consumer base expands and evolves through increased awareness and consequently production, there is a risk of diluting Wagyu as a brand through lesser quality cuts and creating a commodity rather than remaining a premium product. The strategy for AACo is to focus on the eating experience, not just marble score, underpinned by MSA and eating quality as well as acknowledging that the company has a responsibility toward environmental stewardship to strengthen the Wagyu story.

To achieve those outcomes, AACo recognises that genetics are integral to ensuring effective production systems and implementing sustainable practices to protect the environment and the introduction of new technologies to streamline processes. Part of that mix is the development of their own genetic data analysis systems, the move to polled genetics and improving supply chain networks.

In closing, Mr Killen wanted to acknowledge those in the industry who had and still are; doing it tough as a result of the drought and devastating floods.

Continuing on with the Big Picture theme, Andrew Cox, Japan expert with MLA and Bully Kohno outlined how meat trends are evolving in Japan and greater Asia and the impacts that has on Wagyu beef. With a population with growing affluence, the Asian market is seeing a trend toward greater numbers taking a more Western diet, that is highlighted by the increase in fast-food chains and the greater importation of beef – ground and cuts.

As a consequence, premium products such as Wagyu – particularly at the high end – are seen more as a status symbol. The Japanese Wagyu industry has noted the change and is now striving toward more A3 graded Wagyu, down from the premium A5 and focusing on larger, more economical cattle.

Coming back home, ALFA President and director of Camm Agricultural Company, Bryce Camm brought a personal and professional approach to his presentation. Most would agree that feedlotting is a margin-based business, and re-iterating the messages heard on Day 1, Bryce pointed out that smart business management by the sector in the face of rising grain prices was necessary to keep the supply chain moving forward, while at the same time understanding the changing consumer landscape.

Anthony Winter, Gina Lincoln, Laird Morgan and Alan Hoey shared more personal stories of their journey in Wagyu – from a whole of life approach to nurturing through to genetics to give the desired production system; or how data can underpin your decisions to improve the overall herd.

In a candid presentation, Anthony (Macquarie Wagyu) admitted that he and Chantal had made mistakes – including sending a breed-leading bull off to slaughter because data had not been collected to that point and his breeding potential had not been quantified. After learning this hard lesson, they have now implemented systems for data management and use this data for benchmarking in BREEDPLAN and to produce diversified genetics that give consistent outcomes.

Macquarie Wagyu’s reputation as a quality breeder led Laird Morgan to his purchase of Sires and Dams to kick start his program at Arubial Wagyu. In a few short years, utilising data, Laird is able to produce cattle with top credentials and EBVs.

“The decision to buy Macquarie Prelude and make this bull available to the public has proved to be the right one,” said Laird. Semen from this bull is exported globally has been the number one selling beef bull (all breeds) for ABS Australia for the past 18 months. This provides an insight into the demand for top Wagyu genetics around the world. Laird finished by stating that “You don’t have to use EBV’s, but understand that I am and that you are competing with me”.