Wagyu World May/June 2016 by EDJE

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

this issue May / June 2016 Volume 2, Number 4

11 MARKET MATTERS Passion for Prime

The time is almost here! The 3rd Annual Passion for Prime event is right around the corner and this year features a sale. See who is behind this idea and the driving force that has made this become a reality. >> By Jeri Tulley

11 16 RANCH REACH Marble Ranch

A look into this Texas based Wagyu program, the perople behind it and what makes this Wagyu ranch unique. >> By Jeri Tulley

16 24

24 OUT & ABOUT

Sale reports from the Texas Wagyu Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steaks are High sale and the 1st Annual Bar R Cattle Company production sale. Also, the latest and greatest Wagyu industry news plus the upcoming Wagyu events that should be marked in your calendar.

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

28 health & Husbandry Reproduction 101

A special look into embryo transfer and all it has to offer the Wagyu breed. Dr Darrel DeGrofft shares his insight on embryo transplant and reproduction. >> By Heather Smith-Thomas

28 34 MARKET MATTERS Premium Wagyu in Chile

A look into a very progressive Wagyu program in he productive country of Chile. Dr Horner shares his travels with us as we look into Agricola Mollendo. >> By Dr. Jimmy Horner

38 living Prime

Evans Silver & Fantasic Caverns

Take a look at the beautiful creations that Evans Silver has to offer. Whether you want the vintage or western look; they have the perfect piece for you. While traveling to Springfield, Missouri for the next Wagyu event, take an adventure and see magnificent caves. It’s a blast!

40 RANCH REACH Wagyu Quebec

A Canadian Wagyu operation that strives to make the best product as possible. See how they do this and whose behind this program. >> By Heather Smith-Thomas

44 Health & husbandry OvaGenix

A look into how a partnership is a win-win situation and how those involved come from two very different spectrums. >> By Jeri Tulley

COVER>>

Title: On the Move Location: Chile Courtesy of: Dr Jimmy Horner

8 EDITOR’S LETTER 9 Publisher’s Post 10 Contributors 46 INDEX Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Editor’s Letter | WW

May/June 2016

welcome Boy, oh boy! It has been a busy spring. Beyond the normal magazine deadlines, I have faced many exciting changes and events. First of all, it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces in Texas at the Steaks are High sale. The weather was superb and the crowd was quite large, making for a perfect setting for any sale. Congratulations to the Texas Wagyu Association and all of the sale consignors for such a successful event. Just recently, I got to see many of you again at the Bar R Cattle Company production sale in Washington. The Reeves family hosted a fantastic event that filled every seat in their new sale facility. Hats off to the Bar R crew for two delicious meals, a wonderful setting and most importantly; a great sale! When I say boy, oh boy, I really mean it as I am pregnant with a baby boy. This is my first and I have to say, these are definitely new waters I’m treading. Many of you may already know of this news, since the announcement that auctioneer Butch Booker made during the Bar R sale; I think my face turned as red as a tomato with embarrassment. I am due in November, so come the National Western Stock Show in Denver, I will be toting around a new addition to our family. Amidst all of this, we are also in the process of moving ranches. As you all know, moving is not an easy task especially when there are cattle, equipment, two households and a pregnant lady involved. To say the least, my family and I are in for some big changes and we couldn’t be more excited. I am also very excited about this issue. Once again, our writers have brought to us many informative and interesting reads. This issue takes us from a Texas Wagyu operation all the way north of the border into Quebec. If you wanted to learn more about reproduction and embryo transplant in Wagyu cattle, this is the issue for you. Also, we travel far south of our border to Chile and back to the Midwest to learn about the breed’s next exciting event. As always, we bring you some exciting finds and ideas in the “Living Prime” section and also cover the latest and greatest happening in the “Out & About” where you will also find the Wagyu calendar of events. Next time I see many of you, I’ll be bigger; as Sutter James Danekas-Lohse continues to grow, as do I. I want to thank many of you for your kind words, and I truly appreciate all of the advice; I really have no idea what I am doing. I also want to encourage everyone to send good thoughts and energy to our good friend Ralph Valdez, as he conquers a battle; he too treads new waters on a path to being 100%. Take care and I look forward to seeing many of you in Missouri.

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Publisher’s Post | WW “I’m not sure I want popular opinion on my side – I’ve noticed those with the most opinions often have the fewest facts.” ~ Bethania McKenstry ~ I can’t believe how quickly the months pass when I’m not looking, May is almost gone and I really have no recollection of April. Traveling, deadlines and getting ready to move to the new ranch have made this spring feel non-existent. I like staying busy, although this pace is miles beyond that, the only thing I have working for me is the days stay light until late, and I can get a lot of chores accomplished in those hours. I haven’t moved in over twenty years, so you can imagine the amount of things one acquires in that time frame; I’m attempting to throw things out and my new motto is “if I haven’t picked it up or thought about it in the last two years, it’s gone”. I’m ready to let go of stuff, just wish that I’d done it sooner than later. The only thing keeping me balanced are my mornings at home; most mornings finds me irrigating some pasture or another and it’s my time to quietly walk through the cows and enjoy a couple of hours of peace before I head for our offices. It’s in those hours that I can organize my thoughts for the day’s schedules and enjoy the last few weeks on the ranch I’ve called home for twenty years. It will be sad to leave this place, although it’s time to make this transition where we are all on one ranch and the larger acreage will make it possible to re-build our herd. I’m building a new home on the ranch and that in itself has been an eye opener; just the numbers of permits required are intimidating. I want to congratulate the Texas Wagyu Association on their very successful sale, it was a pleasure being in attendance and the Texas hospitality was once again remarkable. I also want to congratulate Jerry and Heidi Reeves for their wildly triumphant production sale. It was a pleasure to get to know all of Jerry and Heidi’s family who arrived home to help with the sale; they certainly added a lot to the success of the occasion. In just a couple of weeks we’ll head for Missouri and I’m looking forward to meeting all of our consignors and having another successful Wagyu event. The next time I post to this editorial we should be moved and construction will be under way on my new home as I type with crossed fingers. The summer will past before we know it and we’ll be looking forward to the Wagyu Association Convention come October. Enjoy these lingering days of spring.

Sherry Danekas - Publisher

P: (916) 685-8980 F: (916) 685-8996 W: www.buywagyu.net O: 8900 Grantline Road Elk Grove, CA 95624 M: P.O. Box 410 Wilton, CA 95693

Publisher: Sherry Danekas sherry@jdaonline.com Editor: Mercedes Danekas-Lohse wagyuworld@yahoo.com Advertising: mercedes@jdaonline.com • (916) 837-1432 Circulation/Subscriptions: Morgan Fryer morgan@jdaonline.com • (916) 685-8980 Design Department: Hannah Ballard artdept@jdaonline.com • (916) 685-8980

WAGYU WORLD, is owned and published bimonthly by James Danekas and Associates, Inc. Subscriptions: Domestic: $25.00/one year (Presort Standard U.S. Postage Paid: Tuscon, Arizona., Address corrections requested) International: Canada - $55; Mexico - $100; Foreign - $100 Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Contributors | WW

Discovery This Issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Three Contributors Share Themselves With Us. Jeri Tulley

Heather Smith-Thomas

Dr. jimmy horner

The one thing I dread about summer is... stickers. I can never seem to get completely rid of them, and they hurt like the dickens. On the 4th of July, me and the family usually spend it... marching in the local parade, eating ice cream, and sitting on the front porch after dark to catch the fireworks show. After writing many times now for Wagyu World, so far my most memorable piece I have written has been... about Josh Eilers and Ranger Cattle Company. His personal story as a combat veteran combined with the way that he has built his business through a lot of hard work and by using innovative and unconventional ideas appeals to me. I rewrote that article four times to get it to say exactly what I wanted it to say. I felt his journey to get into agriculture without any prior knowledge or background and with all of the barriers he had to overcome was important to share with others.

The one thing I dread about summer is... ticks and flies. On the 4th of July, me and the family usually spend it... doing something with horses. After writing many times now for the Wagyu World, so far my most memorable piece I have written has been... a whole bunch of them. I learn something new from every assignment and I thoroughly enjoy talking to people all over the country (and around the world!) who raise Wagyu cattle!

The one thing I dread about summer is... fighting the losing battle of the heat and humidity here in Texas. On the 4th of July, me and the family usually spend it... getting together for grilled steaks (and chicken for my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;in-law), homemade ice cream and lots of fireworks. After writing many times now for the Wagyu World, so far my most memorable piece I have written has been... the article on fetal programming that I wrote a year ago as I continue to be asked questions about it and we all continue to learn so much about this very intriguing subject.

Rancher/Writer

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Rancher/ Writer

Nutritionist / CEO Protocol Technologies

By Jeri Tulley

amily, faith, and dual loves for education and fantastic beef – those are the driving forces behind Mike Kerby of Buck Mountain Ranch - those things have produced his “Passion for Prime.” Mike grew up out in the country in Washington, Missouri. He frequently went deer hunting and fishing. This knowledge and skill lead him to a career of fishing professionally and owning a haberdashery company. He participated in bass tournaments all over the United States. He was really good at it, and he won big prizes likes boats and appeared on TV shows. Mike recalls, “As a young guy, it was kind of a dream.” That dream ended suddenly when Mike was involved in a car wreck. After spending a long time in the hospital and in rehabilitation, his life focus changed. He bought the farm and started rescuing and rehabbing horses. The farm was opened for children to come for faithbased counseling and an experience with the horses that touched the kids and made a difference in their lives. Inner city kids would come to experience nature in a way that they had never had the opportunity to before…seeing and touching animals, climbing real Indian mounds, and standing in awe of the beauty of the farm’s fifty-foot waterfall. The children’s presence also aided in the horses’ healing process. Although now

it is on a much smaller scale than at that time, the farm is still open to churches and to faith-based day camps to come and explore the country. In addition to rehabbing horses and providing the faith-based camps for kids, Kerby Farms started running Angus cattle in 2001, and Mike became a financial advisor. These two interests collided one fateful day to provide Mike with an opportunity. As a financial advisor, Mike was taking a wealthy client on a real estate tour in the Columbia, Missouri area. They stopped to eat at Broadway Brewery and were discussing this client’s strategy of buying a farm to raise Angus cattle. However, as Mike looked over the menu, he saw Wagyu and its prices, and his curiosity was piqued. After eating Wagyu and talking to the chef, Mike told his client, “You may not want to be in Angus anymore.” Mike and his client both began to research Wagyu and develop a financial plan to move forward. Unfortunately, that gentleman passed away during that time. Mike decided that Wagyu was a sound business investment, and he replaced his Angus herd with Wagyu and is “trying to carry on the plan that my client and I were developing for him while he was still alive.” Mike and his son, Brandon, who is the ranch manager, have been breeding Wagyu for the past seven years on ap-

proximately 2,000 acres that they own and lease. They raise blacks, reds, and crosses and do a lot of embryo work. In an effort to grow their herd, they use sexed semen to breed toward heifers. Recognizing the need to promote Wagyu and to educate both current and future producers, Mike came up with the idea of a meeting in the Midwest. From this idea, the Passion for Prime was born. This annual meeting began in 2014 with approximately seventyfive attendees eager to learn more about the breed. Attendees came from many states: Missouri, Texas, Louisiana, Kansas, and Arkansas. There were even some from as far away as Canada. The next year’s meeting grew and had faculty from Missouri State University in attendance. The faculty members were excited about the possibilities that Wagyu present and offered to host the 2016 meeting and sale. MSU will have fullblood embryos available for purchase in the sale. This June, Wagyu enthusiasts from all over will gather in Springfield, Missouri, to learn more about Wagyu and the opportunities that exist, to meet and socialize with others interested in Wagyu, and to buy and sell at the first annual Passion for Prime sale. The weekend event opens the evening of Friday, June 10th, at 6:00 PM with industry speakers and a social held at the newly renovated Wagyu WagyuWorld World| |May/June May/June2016 2016 11 11

Market Matters | WW

DARR Agricultural Center on the campus of Missouri State University. The state of the art facility serves as a laboratory and field experience classroom for the study of livestock management, equine studies, horticulture, agronomy, animal science, and wildlife conservation and management. The DARR also includes a stalling barn, a multi-use barn, bovine handling facilities, a conference space, and a 400-person capacity banquet hall. The designated hotel for the event is the nearby Hilton Garden Inn. On Saturday morning attendees can view the sale offerings and enjoy complimentary baked goods and coffee. Around noon, a Wagyu lunch sponsored by Heartbrand beef and Buck Mountain Ranch will kick off the sale. The sale begins promptly at 1:00 PM with live and online bidding available. One hundred plus lots of females, bulls, embryos, pregnancies, and semen will be available for purchase. These lots will include red and black genetics, ranging from full blood to percentages. A sales catalog can be found at jdaonline.com under “Upcoming Sale Schedules.” Mercedes Danekas – Lohse of James Danekas & Associates, Inc. (JDA, Inc.), the livestock marketing and promotion company for the sale, says “This sale is an opportunity for everyone to come together to make the breed stronger, better, and larger. Staying unified and supporting each other during this time of transition in the American Wagyu Association is the number one way success will be reached, especially with such a young breed.” The Passion for Prime sale provides breeders a way to acquire new and more genetics. It also allows people who are thinking about or just getting into the breed a good opportunity to learn what 12 12 Wagyu Wagyu World World || May/June May/June 2016 2016

Wagyu is all about. Because the sale features a lot of bulls, it should also be of interest to commercial cattlemen as they look to improve their future herds. Since Wagyu will be served, it will also be a great chance to sample the meat to see what it is all about. JDA, Inc. encourages any and all who are interested to come and enjoy the exciting day, the good food, and the friendly people who are involved in the Wagyu business. As the sale chairman, Kerby decided to open up the sale to genetic defect carriers. He believes that “ideally in a perfect world genetic defects are something that we breed away from. Unfortunately, this breed is not large enough that you can say ‘I will never use a bull that is a genetic carrier.’ If you are going to do that you will walk away from the top three marbling bulls in our genetic line-up.” Kerby points to a heifer he owns that at 407 days of only being grass-fed graded prime on an ultrasound. She is an F-11 carrier, but he still considers her his most outstanding heifer and says he would “be nuts not to breed her. I just have to breed her smart.” All genetic defect carrier animals will be marked in the sale, and instead of shunning them, Mike encourages breeders to see the genetic potential these animals bring to the breed if bred correctly to avoid affected offspring. He points out that this venue will offer the perfect opportunity for breeders to have their questions and concerns on this topic addressed by experts in the field. Uniformity in labeling and marketing is an area Mike would like to see the Wagyu breed improve. Kerby believes that we need an association label for Wagyu beef that includes a beef marbling score (BMS). To promote quality consistency for the consumer, meat Page 31 >>

Genetics Available At June 11th A proven Donor Sells As Lot 2!

TTO MS SHOKU

FB15934 DOB: 09/20/2011 TATT: 2 COW

MONJIRO 11550 SAKURA 2 741638 TANISHIGE 1526 SUZUNAMI 472255 WORLD K’S MICHIFUKU WSI UMEMARU ............................................................. JVP MS KIKUCHISA 19E L7 504A KITATERUYASUDOI J2810 JVP KUNIASO J 6124F .................................................... JVP MS FUKUSHIGE T10E • Fullblood • Black • SCD-AA Tenderness-9 • P.E. to DTR NAKA DOI Here we have a female carrying the influence of Haruki 2 who is the number one trait leading sire in Australia. This lot’s dam carries the influence Michifuku who is said to be the best carcass sire to ever leave Japan and has been known to sire progeny with superb carcass characteristics.

Plus

WORLD K’S HARUKI 2 ................................................. HANSHOKU UKB MS SHIGEMARU 803 ............................................

RER MS MADDIFUKU 2692A

Many other exciting females.

BMR MS. SHIGESHIGETANI-01

YG ITOMICHI 5692

The first Exon BC female to ever sell at auction!

FB14737 DOB: 06/25/2010 TATT: 2692A COW KIKUNORI DOI 9285 MURAYOSHI 74233 KIKUTERU DOI FUKUUCHYOSHI 509700 WORLD K’S MICHIFUKU BAR R MICHIFUKU 349H ............................................ JVP MS KIKUCHISA 19E RSC MS MICHIASUDOI 2696 KITATERUYASUDOI J2810 BR MS KITATERUYASUDOI 96 ................................... JVP MS FUKUSHIGE T10E • Fullblood • Black • SCD-AA Tenderness-9 • P.E. to DTR NAKA DOI Here we have a female carrying the influence of Haruki 2 who is the number one trait leading sire in Australia. This lot’s dam carries the influence Michifuku who is said to be the best carcass sire to ever leave Japan and has been known to sire progeny with superb carcass characteristics. KIKUYASU DOI 575 ........................................................ JVP KIKUYASU DOI-400 FUKUYOSHI 703223 .......................................................

Look for us in the Passion for Prime Sale in Springfield Missouri on June 11th!

BMR RED GALAXY XL 7

The first Exon BC bull to ever sell at auction!

Also

Selling Herd Sire Prospects in Lots 58 & 59!

Mike Kerby P.O. Box 1692 • Warsaw, MO 65355 606-221-9225 • mkerby@aol.com

DIAMOND T RANCH | Tony Tristani

www.buckmountainranch.com

1298 County Road 1405 • Jacksonville, TX 75766 t_tristani@yahoo.com • 847.778.5563

Passion for Great Wagyu Genetics

ECC BONNIE 4E14

ECC BONNIE 4E13

Sells Bred to the reigning two-time National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Black Fullblood Bull, “Sweet Willie”

PC21502

Both Lot 29 & 30 are full sisters to the 2016 National Western Stock Show Grand Champion Percentage Female!

All of these exciting packages sell June, 11th at the Emerson Cattle Company

Also Selling 20 Units of the reigning two-time National Western Show Grand Champion Black Fullblood Bull, “Sweet Willie” FB18248

Owensville, Indiana

Q.B. Emerson, MD • Owner Bill Couch • Manager 812-661-9241 Wagyu World | May/June 2016

GAF Kitatani C10 (FB22024)

GAF Harukatani C7 (FB21610)

(World K’s Kitaguni Jr. x CHR Ms Suzatani 262T)

(World K’s Haruki II x Ms CHR Suzatani 252T)

Golden Age Farm will be consigning these two Fullblood Black bulls from the heart of our flush program to the Passion for Prime Sale, being held in Springfield, MO on June 11, 2016. Please visit our website, Goldenagewagyu.com, to contact us for more information on these two young bulls.

It’s time to SPICE

THINGS UP with the Western Cowman Cookbook!

Order your copy today by visiting www.westerncowman.com or call us at (916) 685-8980

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

By Jeri Tulley

rturo Mateos Bay, owner and president of Marble Ranch, was born in Mexico City in 1968. He grew up on his family’s ranch in the northeastern part of Mexico in the state of Tamaulipas. Originally, Arturo’s father, a civil engineer who specialized in tunneling by trade, ran the ranch alongside his engineering career. One fateful day in 1998, Arturo traveled with his father to the Kobe prefecture of Japan to meet with Mitsubishi Industries to view a tunneling machine. When the deal was sealed, the Japanese were so happy that they invited son and father to dinner at a famous fancy restaurant called Misono. It was at this meal that Arturo had his first encounter with true Japanese Kobe beef. After his first taste, he was completely blown away. He locked eyes with his father and thought, “What is this delicious thing that we have just eaten?” One year later Arturo’s father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. He was treated at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The excellent care he received extended his life by seven years. Towards the end, he turned over the reins of the ranch to Arturo. They had

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Ranch Reach | WW

many discussions about the ranch, and in one, Arturo asked his father if he recalled the dinner they had with the Japanese gentlemen and the delicious beef they had eaten. Arturo began to research the breed. After sharing what he learned with his dad, his father liked the idea of introducing Wagyu cattle to their herd. The more Arturo researched Wagyu, the more he realized a need to explore the genetics of the breed. He determined it was almost impossible to get any genetics from Japan. He then visited Chile, Australia, and several states within the United States on a hunt for the best genetics. He bought bulls and turned them out on commercial cattle to produce F-1s, and he also bought 100 embryos and 2,000 straws of semen thinking that would be a strong start to the project. Unfortunately, because of an inexperienced technician, the pregnancy rate was only 23%. Considering this a complete failure, Arturo fired his technician, acquired more embryos, and asked industry experts who the best technicians were. “That’s how I met Dr. Looney,” Arturo says. “On the second transfer, with Looney in charge, we had a 60% success rate, and it has just grown. 72% has been our highest pregnancy rate so far.” After experiencing success with in-vitro fertilization, Arturo decided to try more embryos, and, by the end of year three, had a herd of 250 full-blood cattle. Besides his full-blood cattle, Arturo was experiencing success selling meat from his F-1s to hotels in Mexico. In 2009, security problems caused by the drug cartel war in Mexico grew immeasurably worse. The security issues devastated the tourism industry and ruined Arturo’s hotel market for his F-1 cattle. In a search for a solution, Arturo attended a conference in Texas put on by Rick Perry’s office promoting investment in Texas with a particular emphasis on Mexican in Wagyu World | May/June 2016

vestment. He spent time talking with attendees and the conference promoters, and they showed him that it was possible to have a market in Texas. Since 2009, the security situation has escalated and has become so dire that Arturo has not been back to his home and ranch in Mexico. Except for the cattle that came from the very first set of Wagyu embryos, Arturo has had to wait to meet the cattle until they are exported to the United States. Shortly after the conference, Mateos Bay bought his current base of operation in Iola, Texas. With Oak trees aplenty in the sandy clay soil of the East Texas 327acre ranch, Marble Ranch is an ideal cattle ranch. It has a feedlot area that will hold 250-300 feeder calves, a commodity barn where feed is mixed and stored, several hay grass pastures, ground water, three wells that run the water troughs, and ten small traps for the embryo clinic. At this time, the partnership between OvaGenix and Marble Ranch began. In May of 2011, Dr. Looney recommended to Arturo that he hire Kyle Jurney as Ranch Manager. Jurney grew up in Dublin, Texas, and learned his way around cattle working with his family’s commercial cow herd and dairy heifer development program. He graduated in 2004 from Texas A&M University with his degree in Animal Science and had several ranching jobs leading up to Marble Ranch. Arturo says that hiring Kyle was an excellent decision, and he considers Jurney his most valued asset at Marble Ranch. By June of that same year, Arturo started importing the first cows and steers from Mexico, and Marble Ranch began its breeding and feeding operation in Texas. Jurney recalls that within two heat cycles they had all of the cattle bred. He said, “It really impressed me coming from other beef breeds. Fertility usually drops way off in the summer with other breeds.” Jurney noted how the cows seemed to hustle and really make the most of the grass that was available and that they are probably one of the most heat-tolerant breeds he has seen. Marble Ranch’s cattle production strategy is to keep a majority of its heifers as replacements and a few select bulls. The remaining cattle go into the feeding program for beef production. The steers and feeder heifers are fed out as closely to Takeda’s feeding protocol as possible. The actual foodstuffs are not the same, as Jurney uses locally available ingredients to make the feed mix, but he strives to keep the same net nutrient content as the ration that was suggested to them by Ted Naruke. Likewise, the barns on Marble Ranch are built to replicate traditional practices of raising Japanese cattle. The barns are 70’ X 200’ long with twenty pens each. Half of each pen is under the building burger to the restaurants was going at a slower and half is in the sun. Each pen contains fewer head per pen, rate than they had expected. In the near future, lights are kept lower to keep the cattle calm, and there are Marble is planning for the opening of an online numerous fans to keep the cattle cool and comfortable. store to deliver directly to end consumers. They Minimizing stress on the animals allows for maximum are hoping to have this part of their marketing opgain. Jurney states, “In feeding cattle you just want to eration available nationwide by the end of the year. be as consistent as you can. That makes for a more Other plans for the future include closing operaconsistent product.” tions in Mexico and concentrating on business in Texas. Sales Manager, Andy Pendergrass, markets Arturo does not foresee a way that the Mexican governtheir beef to restaurants in the Dallas, Housment can control the situation, and he wants to focus on ton, and Galveston areas. The primals are Texas and make the company grow here. As such, he intends shipped directly to the restaurants from the to expand their feeding operation at another ranch purchased processor, and the lesser cuts are ground in Erath County, near Purves, Texas. The property is licensed to into hamburger. Arturo said that selling 18

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Ranch Reach | WW

feed 2,050 animals. Jurney says, “The next big project on the list is to get this property set up the way we want it. We need to break it down into smaller pens, get in-line feed bunks and shade, and basically redesign the whole layout to get a facility that will match our protocol.” It is a multi-year project, and Marble is targeting having 1,500-1,800 fullbloods on feed there within the next four to five years. As they grow this feeding operation, they plan to move away from feeding crosses. Arturo’s reasoning behind this is that 85%-90% of his full-

blood cattle come out really good, while on his F-1s 10% will be extraordinary and the others will be just average. The differences in feeding full-bloods versus crosses are that full-bloods require a more consistent regime and more feeding time. When grading their beef, Marble is one of the few US producers that use a Japanese carcass camera system that is standard in Japan but is considered cutting edge technology in most other countries, including the US. The camera system processes a digital im-

age of the cut between the twelfth and thirteenth rib and provides a wealth of information about the meat in thirty different measurements, such as the exact amount of internal fat, the percentage of the intramuscular fat, the color of the meat, the color of the fat, the fine marbling particles, etc. Marble believes this camera is their most important tool to grade and price their beef accurately and fairly. Arturo states that, without using a camera, “almost everybody is grading BMS scores too high. It is a very dangerous situation for the industry and for Wagyu WagyuWorld World| |May/June May/June2016 2016 19 19

Ranch Reach | WW

the consumers. Very few ranchers have the tools and training to judge Japanese BMS scores accurately. This lack of tools and training has created an issue where we have a lot of misleading producers and a lot of unhappy customers.â&#x20AC;? Marble Ranch addresses this issue by selling its beef based on percentage of intramuscular fat. Besides American industry inaccuracy, another reason Marble sells based on percentage of intramuscular fat instead of using the Japanese BMS scale is because the Japanese and Americans use different breaks. Jurney points out that the Japanese grade on the European break, looking at the cut between the sixth and seventh rib versus a break 20

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

at the twelfth and thirteenth rib we are used to seeing in the US. Since cattle deposit marbling differently on different parts of the carcass there could be a significant difference in an American break and a European break. In addition to raising good beef, Arturo also likes to cook and eat it. His favorite Wagyu recipe is Misono, because it is so simple. Here are his directions: To make it you cut off the extra fat and melt it down in the pan. Slice some gar-

lic and roast it in the pan. Remove the garlic from the pan, leaving the flavored fat. Take a Wagyu strip loin with a little bit of coarse-ground sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper on it and cook it until medium rare. Another of his favorite ways to eat

(serves 4 as main dish or 6 as starter) Ingredients 1 Wagyu oxtail 1 cup of finely chopped carrots 1 cup of finely chopped white onion 1 cup of finely chopped celery stalks 1 glass of dry Sherry 1 cup of thinly sliced white or yellow onion 1 tbsp. corn starch (sieved) ¼ cup of coarsely chopped parsley ¼ cup of frying oil ¼ cup of butter 1 extra tbsp. butter 1 extra tbsp. of frying oil sea salt black pepper 40-50 oz. of beef stock (depending on the size of cooker) 1 tbsp. of concentrated beef stock 1 sprig of thyme 2 bay leaves

Directions Remove excess fat from the oxtail. Cut into chunks between the bones then generoulsly sprinkle them with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Pour the oil into a large pressure cooker and set it to medium heat. Melt the butter and add the thyme and bay leaves. Do not allow the butter to brown. Add the chunks of oxtail and sear them until lightly brown. Then add the carrots, onions and celery. Stir until the onion softens a bit (about 3 minutes). Pour in enough liquid beef stock until the oxtail is covered and add the concentrated beef stock. Close the presure cooker and cook in medium-high for 45 min. Meat should be tender but still on the bone. In a separate saucepan, pour the tbsps. of oil and butter and heat to medium. Let the butter melt but not brown. Add the sliced onion and stir until soft. Mix the sieved corn starch into the glass of dry Sherry and stir constantly to let the alcohol evaporate (1 minute), pour in a cup of beef stock and keep stirring until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside. When ready, open the presure cooker and taste the stock. Add more salt or fresh stock if needed. Keep the cooker in medium heat and add the mixture into it. Bring to a boil and keep it simmering for 4-5 minutes to allow the starch to cook. Serve very hot and sprinkle with parsley before bringing it to the table.

Wagyu is in his grandmother’s recipe for Scottish Oxtail soup. Arturo likes the flavor of the broth and says that although the ingredient list is long, the soup is actually very simple to prepare. (See recipe for more details.)

Marble Ranch feels that the Wagyu breed has a really good future if everyone keeps focused on what the breed does well, and that is carcass quality. “We want good functional cattle that produce a carcass that is acceptable

and marketable,” says Jurney. With the powerhouse trio of Arturo Mateos Bays, Kyle Jurney, and Dr. Charles Looney leading Marble Ranch, expect to see really good things in Marble Ranch’s future, too. Wagyu WagyuWorld World| |May/June May/June2016 2016 21 21

September 14th ~ Coeur dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Alene, Idaho

Only the Finest! An array of elite Wagyu genetic packages

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

more details to come www.jdaonline.com

Semen and Embryos Available on: Fukutsuru 068 • Kitaguni Jr. • Haruki • Takazakura • Michifuku • Kenhanafuji Yasufuku Jr. • Michifuku • Kikuyasu 400 • Shigeshigetani • Mitsuhikokura JVP Kikushige 401 • JVP Yasutanisakura 408• Hirashige -Tayasu • Sanjirou Mazda • Mt Fuji • Shigefuku 005 • Itomoritaka • Itozuru Doi Kitateruyasu Doi • CHR Kikutsuru Doi • Kage

MARB

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RIBEYE

RIBEYE ACCURACY

0.39

0.41

0.26

0.39

BACKFAT

-0.03

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CARCASS WT.

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CHR SHIGESHIGETANI 5

Highest ranked tested free Wagyu bull in the Washington State University 2014 National Wagyu Sire Summary.

At the Forefront of Original Wagyu Genetics Since 1994. Conventional and Sexed Semen Available

www.crescentharborranch.com

Ralph Valdez 360.941.0644 Wagyu World | May/June 2016

OUT & ABOUT

Wagyu Sales, Shows, and Other Happenings Sales

7th Annual Texas Wagyu Association Steaks are High Wagyu Sale

SALADO, TEXAS April 23rd, Saldo, TX 46 24 06 91 148

Fullblood Females Fullblood Bulls Purebred/Percentage Females Frozen Embryo Units Semen

Gross...$345,750 Gross...$119,250 Gross...$13,550 Gross...$48,660 Gross...$51,285

Avg...$7,516 Avg...$4,969 Avg...$2,258 Avg...$535 Avg...$347

The Texas Wagyu Association hosted the Seventh Annual “The Steaks are High” Production Sale on April 23 at Tenroc Ranch in the beautiful Hill Country town of Salado, TX. The event featured a full day of hospitality on Friday April 22 that included a Wagyu Burger Lunch and a Wagyu Fajita Dinner and informational seminars. The Texas Wagyu Association also held their annual meeting. There were three-hundred people in attendance from twelve states, Canada and Australia. KR MS Rueshaw 902, a 9/3/2014 daughter of IWG Umemaru 69Z, consigned by Kay Ranch, Manor, TX was the top selling Red Fullblood female and overall high selling female at $16,000. She sold safe in calf to Red Galaxy female sexed semen. She sold to Drury Cattle Ranch, Strafford, MO, who also purchased her full sister, KR MS Rueshaw 903 calved 1/25/2015, for $15,000. She was the second high selling Red Fullblood and overall female. The top selling Black Fullblood Female was MS CHR Suzutani 249T, a 4/18/2007 daughter of World K’s Sanjirou that sold safe in calf to Bar R Nakagishiro 56T and consigned by Clear Creek Cattle Co., Ocala, FL. She sold to Artisan Cattle Co., Ocala, FL for $12,000. Clear Creek Cattle Co. also sold Kohana, a 3/19/2007 daughter of Mazda for $10,000 to Whitmer Enterprises, Bozeman, MT. TUR MS Haruki Itomichi 53, a 4/7/2015 daughter of TUR Haruki Tres consigned by Turner River Ranch, Medina, TX sold to Jeri Tulley, Hamilton, TX for $10,000. The top selling bull was JC Ruenami 140, a 9/21/2014 son of JC Rueshawsan 65 that was consigned by Turner River Ranch, Medina, TX and Chisholm Cattle Co., Wimberly, TX. He sold to Rocking 711 Ranch, Sugarland, TX for $8,750. Rocking 711 Ranch also purchased LTR Shigefuji 322, a 1/14/2013 son of Shigeshigetani consigned by Tebben Ranch, Floresville, TX for $8,000.

Auctioneer/Sale Management: Schacher Auction Services/Rob Schacher Sale Chairman: Bubba Kay

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Sales

BAR R Production Sale

Pullman, washington May 21st, 2016 Pullman, Washington 29 35 32 25

Females Bulls Embryos Units of Semen

Avg...$7,397 Avg...$5,620 Avg...$1,030 Avg...$252

Top Females Lot 1: Bar R 5U, born 1/01/2008 sired by Bar R 10S; $34,000 to Flying Eagles Wagyu Abilene, Kansas. Lot 4: Bar R 42B, born 5/09/2014 sired by Bar R 58Y; $20,000 to Flying Eagles Wagyu Abilene, Kansas. Lot 25: Bar R 24B, born 4//26/2014 sired by Bar R 52Y; $16,500 to Delta Wagyu Singleton, NSW Australia. Lot 14: Bar R 57T, born 1/07/07 sired by World Kâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sanjirou; $15,000 to Flying Eagles Wagyu Abilene, Kansas. Lot 3: Bar R 8B, born 3/21/2014 sired by Bar R 58Y; $13,500 to Richard Griffiths Garfield, Washington. Lot 17: Bar R B79, born 11/05/14 sired by Bar R Itomoritaka 42Z; $10,750 to Wagyu-Genetics Wiesbaden, Germany. Top Bulls Lot 35A: Bar R-AB 4500, born 3/24/14 sired by Bar R 10S; $14,000 to Delta Wagyu Singleton, NSW Australia. Lot 35C: Bar R-AB 4504, born 4/01/2014 sired by Bar R 10S; $14,000 to Delta Wagyu Singleton, NSW Australia. Lot 51: Bar R C58, born 5/11/2015 sired by Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T; $9,000 to Lucky Seven Cattle Company Hamilton, Texas. Lot 41: Bar R B94, born 10/13/2014 sired by Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T; $8,750 to Lucky Seven Cattle Company Hamilton, Texas. Lot 42: Bar R B68, born 10/13/2014 sired by Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T; $7,000 to Nate Rocker Paola, Kansas. Top Embryo Packages Lot 73: Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T X Bar R Miss 2N, 4 Embryos; $10,000 to M6 Cattle Florence, Montana. Lot 74: Itoshigename X Bar R 68P, 4 Embryos; $4,800 to Ron Haake Havelberg, Germany. Lot 78: JVP Fukutsuru-068 X Miss Bar R 301H, 5 Embryos; $5,250 to Wagyu-Genetics Wiesbaden, Germany. Top Semen Packages Lot 86: Judo, 5 Units; $2,500 to Virginia Wagyu Altavista, VA Lot 87: Mt Fuji, 5 Units; $2,500 to Flying Eagles Wagyu Abilene, Kansas. The Bar R production sale kicked off on Friday evening with wonderful hospitality which included a fantastic meal with an array of Wagyu cuts and hearty side dishes, good drink and most importantly a large group of people there to help celebrate the inaugural Bar R Production Sale. The new and beautiful Bar R sale facility filled up quickly on sale day morning as many arrived early in anticipation of the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events. The event brought visitors from all over the United States and two countries. After lunch was served, another wonderful Wagyu meal, all of the seats and bleachers were filled with over 100 people as the auction began. The online auction service, LiveAucitons.tv, was also busy as there were at least 150 people online watching and participating in the auction. The Bar R Production sale was a success and Bar R genetics sold to breeders all over the United States, Germany and Australia.

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Save the Date

Upcoming Events 2016 JUNE 9

Inaugral Bald Ridge Cattle Company Sale “Kaludabah” Mudgee, NSW

Passion for Prime Sale Springfield, Missouri

AUGUST 6

14-16

American Wagyu Association Annual Conference & Convention Sale Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Grandeur Frozen Genetics Sale Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

2017

JANUARY

19-20 National Western Stock Show Wagyu Events Denver. Colorado Mile High Wagyu Experience Sale Denver, Colorado

JUNE 10

Passion for Prime Sale Springfield, Missouri

JULY 22 26

Michael Beattie, Executive Director for the American Wagyu Association (AWA) for the past five years, resigned his position effective April 15, 2016. Day to day operation of the association office will continue as usual with the oversight of the board as needed. Martha Patterson and the office staff will remain the point of contact for all member business. The AWA board has appointed a nominating committee to search for and select a new Executive Director. The board anticipates that this search may take some time, and as such, asks for patience as well as member input. To provide input, members can contact any of the board members by looking up their information on the AWA’s homepage, www.wagyu.org, and clicking on the link for Staff & Board.

Primetime International Waukesha, Wisconsin

SEPTEMBER

In the News

Lone Mountain Cattle Company Female Production Sale Albuquerque, New Mexico

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

AUTHENTIC

AMERICAN

This logo has been created for the use of all Wagyu breeders. If you would like to utilize this artwork to market your Wagyu beef, please contact mkerby@ aol.com Buck Mountain Ranch is excited to announce the Mid-West F-1 Waygu Round-Up… Saturday, September 17, 2016 Over the years, I have had numerous phone calls from ranchers asking where they can sell their F-1 cattle, and this has always been a struggle for the smaller ranches. Everyone knows there is a premium in raising F-1 cattle, but unless you have a full truck load it is hard to get a Waygu buyer to send a truck to your ranch to do a pick-up on a partial load. This is where the Waygu Round-Up comes in. We have a central drop-off point near Springfield, Missouri, home of the Passion for Prime auction. Once a year ranchers can come together and we will combine to fulfill truckload lots. Everyone will get paid for their cattle, but coming together will allow us to negotiate higher premiums for Waygu producers. This will be an annual event and we will be holding a meeting on the Waygu Round-Up the night before the Passion for Prime event. If you would like to know more about participating, or if you are interested in starting a drop-off in your state, please contact Mike Kerby at mkerby@aol.com or 660-221-9225.

Your Source for Ultimate Quality in Wagyu Genetics

Percentage/Fullblood Bulls & Females

www.ohiokobebeef.com

Thank You 2 Sisters Ranch Artisan Cattle Company Bruce Ball Merle Booker Marc Brisson Delta Wagyu Flying Eagles Wagyu Richard Griffiths Ron Haake

Scott Hasenochrl Idaho Wagyu Genetics Klaurano Ranches Lucky 7 Cattle Company M4 Cattle Jon Marchi RBL Enterprises Paul Redner Nate Rockers

Sawyer Beef Chris Schwerder Sieben Livestock Sleeping Willow Ranch Agri Beef Wagyu-Genetics Virgina Wagyu Brandon Weins

We appreciate and thank you for making the Bar R Cattle Company production sale a huge success! Bar R Cattle Company Jerry & Heidi Reeves 509/595/4242 â&#x20AC;˘ 509/397/2502 Wagyu World | May/June 2016

By Heather Smith-Thomas

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Health & Husbandry | WW

n today’s cattle industry there are some breeders buying cattle for the first time and wanting to learn all they can about artificial insemination and embryo transplants. Embryo transfers—from a donor cow to a recipient cow that serves as a surrogate mother to carry that pregnancy and raise the calf—have been a part of bovine reproduction options now for more than 50 years. Darrel DeGrofft, DVM, an embryologist in Loveland, Colorado (Colorado Genetics, Inc.) says the first embryo transfer (ET) calf was born in 1951. “ET has been used commercially in North America since the early 1970’s, with embryo freezing technology following, during the 1980’s. The use of ET has several benefits for the producer, as it allows the cattle breeder to more rapidly gain overall genetic quality in a herd. We can collect multiple embryos from a superior purebred cow, several times during the year, and greatly increase the number of offspring from that cow,” he says. This is a way to more quickly multiply the best genetics in the herd, creating more replacement females or embryos to sell. As long as the donor cow is a good producing individual, a person can collect a lot of embryos within a few years. It’s also a way to more quickly increase the calf numbers in a small herd. “We have a client right now, in the Wagyu breed, who is considering buying a few donor cows. He’s been using frozen embryos but now he’d like to collect his own and use them to increase his herd a little faster,” says DeGrofft.

“When breeding the donor cows, a person can use a different sire for each ET procedure, if desired, to get varied genetics either to sell or to keep in the herd. You should be selecting donor cows of superior genetic quality, and selecting a mating that will have marketability and economic worth. The sale of embryos is very common today. We have clients who frequently buy frozen embryos from other people, and we transfer those into their recipient cows,” he says. “I started working with ET in 1973 and have been doing so ever since. Many things have changed in this industry but some things have stood the test of time and are very valuable today. One of these important things is nutrition,” he says. Nutrition and Management of Donor and Recipient Cows “Adequate energy, protein, minerals, etc. are crucial for these cows. We like to see the donor cows and recipient cows in a body condition score about 5.5 to 6. We don’t like to see the donor too fat. If donor cows get up to a body condition score of 6.5 or higher, we see a decrease in viable embryos that can be collected from those cows,” DeGrofft says.

“There is good reason for that; there is research data to show why fat cows tend to have reproductive problems. If cows get too fat they have hormonal problems, metabolic problems, and a decrease in reproduction (whether with AI, ET or bull bred).” Recipient selection and management is much the same as for donor cows. “We like to use early calvers that are at least 65 to 70 days post-partum before we consider using them as recipients. We prefer middle aged cows, with good dispositions. The producer will have to put those cows through the chute to prepare them to receive an embryo, and may not want cattle that are difficult to handle. When they calve, a person also wants cows with good dispositions, making it much easier to handle the calf, ear tag it, etc.” he says. The recipient cow should be reproductively sound, with a good calving record. “We wouldn’t want to try to use a cow that had been open for a couple of years. We also want these cows to have adequate milking ability, and we try to keep the nutrition the same as the donor cow before we transfer the embryos. We also use Multimin 90, the injectable trace mineral product, for all of our donors and our recipients, along with the mineral ration the rancher is

International Market For Embryos “We are finding a larger demand every year for frozen embryos—to sell to other clients, or for export. We get inquiries from various countries in South America, Europe, Russia, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others for frozen embryos. As we look at the international scene, there is an increasing demand for U.S. genetics,” DeGrofft says. Embryos are a very bio-secure method for exporting seedstock genetics. A person can ship embryos even when importations of live animals is prohibited. “We know of no known diseases that have been transmitted from the donor cows to the recipient cows by exporting embryos. There are strict regulations for preparing embryos for export and there is virtually no risk for disseminating disease,” he says. When a producer is selecting semen for a mating to produce embryos, if they may later want to export embryos internationally, they need to use CSS (Certified Semen Services) approved semen. They also need to use a company that has an accredited veterinarian in the American Embryo Transfer Association to collect and prepare those embryos for export,” says DeGrofft. Shipping embryos to other countries has advantages over sending live cattle, besides disease issues. “The embryo transfer calves are born and raised in the local environment so they are often much better adapted than any animals that could be sent from the U.S. to a foreign country,” he explains. Wagyu World | May/June 2016

currently using. We’ve been doing that for about 12 years and there is a data to show that this can result in an increase in embryo quality and pregnancy rate. We will be involved in a research study this year, to further evaluate embryo quality and production with use of this trace mineral,” says DeGrofft. From a nutrition standpoint, the recipients need an adequate diet. “We tell our clients that they need to maintain a very similar nutrition program after the embryos are transferred (or the AI breeding) for about 30 to 40 days, if possible in order to maintain early pregnancies. This can decrease the possibility of early embryonic losses. Research has substantiated this factor, and we personally have seen this. One of my biggest fears is when heifers have gone through an AI program in a feedlot and a few days later are turned out on a little bit of green grass in April that is very low in nutrition. We know that they will suffer some pregnancy loss. The heifers need to be on the same nutritional level for 30 to 40 days to help maintain that early pregnancy,” he says. It is important to test the feed and water in order to balance the ration properly for minerals, protein and energy. “We find areas from ranch to ranch (and they may not be very far apart) that are too high in selenium or the rancher maybe be feeding something that’s

high in nitrates or selenium, or the soil may be high in molybdenum which ties up copper. Even when people buy the same mineral ration that their neighbor does, it still may not be the right balance for their own soils and feed,” he explains. “We have a consulting nutritionist who has worked with us for 15 years or more and we use her expertise a great deal, when evaluating rations from information each client provides. Over the years, we’ve found a tremendous variability as we travel to about 10 states to do ET work, and we find big differences in some of these locations. If they don’t test the feed and water, they won’t know what they need,” he says. “We also ask that they have an adequate identification system for the recipient cows. Once in a while we run into some that don’t even have an ear tag. We suggest that they have two ear tags, one that they can identify when the embryos are being transferred into these cows, and another ear tag identifying the mating. It is very important to have at least two forms of ID and some people even write down the number of a metal tag they might have in the ear, like a brucellosis tag, or another metal clip tag, using it as a back-up form of ID in the event that the recipient cow loses both ear tags,” he says. That way there’s no question about the genetics of the resulting calf. Pregnancies When collecting embryos from a beef donor cow, the average number is about 6 to 6.5 embryos per flush on a cow, and about 3 or 4 on a virgin heifer. “About 30% of the donor cows we flush

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

do not produce viable embryos. Statistics indicate that about 70% of the embryos collected are from about one-third of the donor cows. Some donor cows produce embryos very well and some do not. The owner has to decide how long to continue working with a cow without acceptable results, or just put her back in the herd and let her raise just one calf each year, and select another individual to use as a donor cow,” he says. “People also ask about pregnancy rates. Over the past 30 to 40 years, the factor that most affects pregnancy rate is the quality and management of the recipient cows. The donor cows are usually looked after very well and the embryos we freeze are very good quality; the freezing process has been the same for 30 to 40 years. We can show data (not only from our company but also from others) that the important factor is the recipient cow—her nutrition, age, reproductive soundness, and how she is managed. In a good herd, we should be getting a pregnancy rate of 55 to 65% depending on whether they are fresh or frozen embryos,” says DeGrofft. “Fresh embryos give a slightly higher pregnancy rate, 5 to 7% more than a frozen embryo pregnancy rate. We anticipate 55 to 65% but have had clients we’ve worked for over the years that get 65 to 70% because they understand the management of the donors and the recipients. Due to their good management, we get better results—not so much because of what we do, but because of what they do,” he explains. Costs vary amongst companies. People need to contact their ET company and look at the costs that might be involved, whether for collection of embryos to be frozen or transferred im-

mediately into the recipient, or whether they want to do IVF (in vitro fertilization) using sexed semen. Not as many people in the beef industry (compared to dairy) are using IVF or sexed semen for producing embryos. “Most of the producers we work with can use both the heifers and the bull calves, because they tell us they can place a heifer back into their herd, or a bull for their annual bull sale. We don’t often get requests to use sexed semen for any of the donor cows,” says DeGrofft. “The use of sexed semen creates a different scenario, as we have to use a specialized protocol in order to utilize sexed semen properly in a donor cow, or an AI project. It’s not the same as when using conventional semen, primarily because of the reduced number of sperm cells in a straw of sexed semen,” he says. Colorado Genetics does all of their reproductive work on the producer’s farm or ranch. “The producers therefore need to evaluate their facilities, and the labor to put the cows through the ET program and synchronize the recipients. Timing is very important, so it is crucial that they follow the superovulation protocol correctly. An experienced AI technician is also required for breeding the donor cows,”

says DeGrofft. Using AI Most beef cattle producers who utilize AI are using conventional semen rather than sexed semen, but the use of sexed semen is slowing increasing. “There are currently some improvements being made in sexed semen. Some of the companies are coming out with some products that will have more sperm cells per straw. I have been told that later this year a new product will be available,” he says. “On an AI basis, we do use some sexed semen occasionally in our reproductive business. It’s best if used in virgin heifers, versus cows, due to the smaller size of the reproductive tract.” Almost all the AI and ET companies in the U.S. and Canada use synchronization protocols. “Every bull stud’s semen catalog has these protocols listed at the back of their catalog— a page for heifers and a page for cows,” he says. “We can use various programs for heifers or for cows, though some people still use simple heat detection for 21 days and breed accordingly. With timed AI (TAI), utilizing superior bull genetics, the cattle are bred 9 or 10 days after you place the CIDR, resulting in more calves born in the early part of the calving season, which is economically valuable,” he explains. There are a number of benefits when using synchronized and timed AI. These programs can be a little less costly than using bull-bred breeding programs. The cost of bulls keeps going up. Some people ask if all the calves will be born in just a few days if the cows are bred in a synchronized program and all bred on the same day. “We know that even though they are all bred the same day (to calve about 9 months later) calving will be spread over 30 days; a few cows will calve as much as two weeks early while others will calve two weeks late. The majority of those AI calves will come within a 10 day window, but they do not all calve on a Tuesday nine months from the AI date!”

<< Page 12 should be sold based on its

BMS instead of whether it is half-blood or full-blood. Kerby says, “The truth is that I’ve seen carcasses of F-1s that were fantastic, and I don’t think that we should be hung up on F-1 versus fullblood. What is underneath that hide is what matters more than what is on that piece of paper.” Kerby believes that if all producers used the same logo for Wagyu beef, our advertising dollars would work a lot stronger. Mike suggests working with the USDA to come up with a system that would provide the end consumer with truth in advertising and urges producers to give their feedback and ideas on this issue to the AWA. Talking with ranchers at last year’s Passion for Prime event, Mike realized that a lot of them have ten to thirty head of F-1s that they need to sell, but that they aren’t large enough to create a market. The main question that people had was “Where do we sell our beef?” Kerby has started what he is terming a “Midwest Wagyu Round-up.” This round-up will happen twice a year at a designated drop-off point. It will provide small and mid-size ranchers an opportunity to team up to offer the truckload numbers that F-1 buyers desire. Besides being more convenient for the buyers, having the cattle at one location will allow the sellers to command a premium. It is a win-win for both parties. Kerby wants to find a consistent, steady buyer so that producers can count on the income and plan for the future. He will have the protocol information finalized and all of the details ready to announce on Friday at the Passion for Prime event, and he hopes to have the first drop in the fall. Ideally, he’d like to see this model flourish and used in every state. Mike Kerby is giving his time to make all of these events happen because he is passionate about Wagyu and about promoting the breed. He sees its promise for the future and is doing everything in his power to help the breed reach its full potential because he loves it and because he wants to help other families be a part of this breed. Seeing other people involved makes Mike feel good at the end of the day. “Someday I hope to see my grandkids running my farm,” he says with a huge grin. Wagyu WagyuWorld World| |May/June May/June2016 2016 31 31

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always good to keep us on board for all of your marketing needs Join us for these upcoming sales June 11 • Passion for Prime Sale • Springfield, Missouri September 6 • Bullfest • Oakdale, California September 14 • Grandeur Frozen Genetics Sale • Coeur d’Alene, Idaho October 8 • California Breeders’ Bull Sale • Turlock, California October 8 • Fall Festival Hereford Sale • Madras, Oregon November 5 • California Female Expo • Turlock, California January 18, 2017 • Mile High Wagyu Experience Sale • Denver, Colorado

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

By Dr. Jimmy Horner

fter experiencing my first cup of very robust coffee at the Santiago, Chile airport following a ten hour flight from Dallas, I realized I had officially begun my first ever Chilean Wagyu adventure. I hurriedly caught my connecting flight to Temuco in order to meet my official host for the week, Marcelo Apablaza, general manager of Agricola Mollendo. A large animal veterinarian, Marcelo has spent most of his career working in the Angus industry in Chile until joining Mollendo around a year ago. He informed me almost immediately that one of his primary goals after going to work for Mollendo was to try and arrange for me to travel to Chile to visit their operations and after many months of planning and coordination, we were now together. Agricola Mollendo which was founded in 2002 both produces and distributes Mollendo Wagyu Beef, a premium product obtained under the highest quality standards, designed to satisfy consumers from the most refined markets around the globe. One of only two commercial Wagyu producers in Chile, Agricola Mollendo is owned by the Gras family which also has business interests in construction, real estate, and aquaculture as well as their own winery, MontGras. I learned very quickly their company has numerous resources but I was most impressed with the people of

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Mollendo as a result of their genuineness, passion and knowledge.

Chile is depicted in purple on the map of South America above. Chile is a long, narrow country ranging in width from only 100-250 miles. The countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s western boundary is 2,650 miles of pacific Coast. Many maintain the country is shaped like a long chili pepper. As a result of its natural geographical barriers and strict customs policies, Chile is free from both FMD (foot and mouth disease) and BSE (mad cow disease).

The southern one-third comprises the majority of the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beef and dairy industries, and it is in this region that Mollendoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s primary breeding farms/nurseries are located. Our first destination late in the day on Day 1 of my trip was at a very majestic; Fundo Los Tayos (photos below). This ranch covers 720 hectares or almost 1800 acres with nearly 70% in cultivation. Ranch manager, Rodrigo Munoz, and his staff manage 1200 head of primarily young Angus cows with Wagyu F1 calves and this operation serves as one of three integrated, company-owned breeding farms/nurseries for Mollendo. A longtime Mollendo employee, I found Rodrigo to be a very knowledgeable cattleman with much humility and tremendous passion for his work. The cattle were beautiful and in excellent condition with good calf size and outstanding calf health with virtually no death loss (less than 1%). The seasons in Chile are reversed from ours but like many U.S. operations, they have primarily two calving seasons in the fall and spring with most calves being born in their spring season. In addition to ryegrass hybrid and ryegrass blend pastures, they also commonly supplement summer grazing with turnips. After spending the night in Panguipulli and being pampered by the lodge

Market Matters | WW

owner actually serving me breakfast in my room, our first stop on Day 2 of my adventure was at Fundo Carilafquen (Black Lagoon Ranch). This ranch includes over 1300 hectares or over 3500 acres with Marcelo Apablaza and Rodrigo Munoz survey grazing quality of turnip field.

Turnips provide valuable grazing supplementation at Fundo Los Tayos.

1600 head of cattle comprised of 80% Angus and 20% Wagyu F1 and F2 cows all of which are bred AI to high quality Wagyu sires. As with Fundo Los Tayos, all calves produced for beef on this farm go to the Mollendo feedlot in Los Angeles, Chile. The ranch is managed by Luis Palacios under the supervision of Juan Manuel Gras (Juan is Rodrigoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brother of the Gras family). I was struck by Luisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; high goals and expectations for this operation and was very pleased with his grouping of cows based on body condition score and supplementing them accordingly. They also creep feed calves to help reach their weaning weight goals. Like Marcelo, Luis also has extensive experience in the Chile Angus industry with limited Wagyu experience, but he struck me as both eager and willing to learn the intricacies of successful Wagyu production. I enjoyed discussing some potentially very creative ways to help him reach his goals for the ranch while also managing costs closely. Luis and other ranchers in southern Chile find themselves needing to be more creative than ever these days in providing proper nutrition to their cattle after two consecutive years of unusually low rainfall and drought conditions. Our final stop on day 2 was in Los Angeles at the Fundo Mollendo farm and feedlot. I was able to take a quick tour

Wagyu and Angus cattle being re-located to better grazing at Fundo Carilafquen.

late in the day with Marcelo and feedlot manager, Gonzalo Marin. In addition to housing and feeding up to 3,500 head of cattle annually with potential to expand up to 10,000 head in the future, Fundo Mollendo also farms 500 hectares or about 1350 acres consisting primarily of high quality corn silage, high moisture corn and oat baleage. They were preparing to begin harvesting corn silage within 10 days of my visit which will be stored in one of several large bunker or pit silos. Gonzalo made it very clear to me how much he loves his job and how much he and his wife prefer living in more rural Los Angeles after growing up in Santiago, a city with over 6 million people. The feedlot is extremely modern with all cattle housed in 3 large covered barns. Each barn con

Wagyu WagyuWorld World| |May/June May/June2016 2016 35 35

tains 36 pens with approximately 30 head per pen. Cattle are fed a total mixed ration from a vertical mixer twice daily. In an attempt to minimize stress, cattle remain with original pen mates throughout the feeding period with the entire pen moved when advancing to the next stage. All cattle are weighed upon entering the feedlot, when advancing to another stage, in June and December when all cattle are vaccinated and dewormed, and at exit. The Wagyu cattle at Fundo Mollendo are currently fed in 3 stages prior to harvest. Ration components include corn silage, high moisture corn, oat baleage, wheat straw, peanut meal, barley pomace, chicory pulp, and a few other locally-sourced supplements and commodities. Day 3 was devoted entirely to walking the pens at the feedlot, meeting with management personnel and meeting the owner, Rodrigo Gras. Rodrigo serves as the Executive President of Agricola Mollendo. An engineer by training, he approaches the business from a very systematic perspective with emphasis on quality through consistency, data collection, fullcycle control and traceability. Rodrigo became involved with Mollendo Wagyu in 2009 and he provided me with a brief history of their company and Wagyu in Chile. We had a delightful, direct and very interesting conversation regarding Rodrigo’s philosophy and expectations along with my observations and assessment of each operation along with my proposed rec-

Finishing pens at Fundo Mollendo in Los Angeles, Chile

ommendations for any perceived areas of improvement. Rodrigo shared their company’s vision statement with me which is “to be recognized as a world-class producer of premium meats for sophisticated markets.” They currently export the ma-

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

General manager, Marcelo Apablaza (left) and feedlot mganager, Gonzalo Marin (center) consult with owner, Rodrigo Gras (Right)

Cattle being weighed prior to shipping for harvest.

jority of their Wagyu beef to Europe, U.S. and Japan with beef marketed under three quality categories based on the Japanese BMS scale: Silver (BMS 3-5); Gold (BMS 6-7) and Platinum (BMS 8 and higher). The majority of Mollendo’s Wagyu beef grades BMS 6 and above. Beef is graded by an outside, independent firm which provides certification for color, ribeye area and degree of marbling. After catching an early connecting flight with Marcelo from Concepcion, the final day of my Chilean Wagyu adventure was spent at the corporate headquarters in Santiago. In addition to meeting with management and marketing/sales staff for much of the day, Marcelo and I were treated by Rodrigo Gras and commercial manager, Javier Reichart, to a most exquisite dining experience at a local high end restaurant which just happened to serve Mollendo Wagyu. In addition to enjoying their premium Wagyu for lunch which was a very special treat in itself, I was also introduced to a delicious Chilean Pisco Sour, the national drink of Chile. Call it a power lunch if you like, but it provided me an opportunity to quiz both Rodrigo and Javier about many aspects of their business. I

learned these two men are the two individuals primarily responsible for opening and maintaining Mollendo’s premium beef markets around the world. Let’s just say I would not want to be competing against these two and would much prefer to be on their team. Aggressive, progressive, relentless, and unmatched product knowledge are just a few of the adjectives I would use to describe this duo. I was also very impressed as we were leaving the restaurant that Mollendo had two additional staff members waiting to meet with the kitchen staff to help teach them proper preparation/cooking techniques of their various Wagyu cuts which is standard procedure for their company after bringing on a new restaurant customer. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my Chilean Wagyu adventure with Agricola Mollendo and their amazing staff. Though they have areas which can stand improvement as any other organization, like most other highly successful organizations I have been acquainted with, their people are their biggest asset and are the ones that will enable the company to reach their lofty goals in the end. Undoubtedly, many U.S. producers could learn much from their staff, especially in regard to their knowledge, management practices, and commitment to care for their cattle. I found Chile to be an extremely beautiful country with southern Chile reminding me of the picturesque topography in southern Japan. The people were very warm, accommodating and passionate about life and their work. Overall, the Chilean food was amazing and oh that coffee! I feel as though I made some friends for life during the week of my Chilean Wagyu adventure which is indeed the greatest blessing from my work in this incredible Wagyu industry. To learn more about Agricola Mollendo and their Wagyu operations in Chile, please visit www.mollendo.cl. Their website is available in both Spanish and English. For any questions about my trip or this article, please contact me at jhorner@ protocoltech.net.

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Ranch Reach | WW Jeannot Luckenuik has a small farm at Drummondville (east of Montreal, on the Saint-Francois River) in Quebec. He worked on the railroad for many years and then went into the cattle business as a sideline. Jeannot has been raising cattle for 25 years and started with a few Angus, selling some of the meat to a local restaurant. “Then the cook contacted me and said he found something even better than my Angus, so I wanted to know what it was. He didn’t know exactly, but said it was something like Wagyu. He didn’t know the name for sure, or how to pronounce it. So I went on the internet and checked, and found out about Wagyu,” Jeannot says. “So the next week I drove to visit a breeder in Formosa, Ontario named Lloyd Kuntz. I bought some meat and a bull from him, and that’s how my new adventure started with Wagyu. I used that bull on my Angus cows. I still use mostly Angus cows to breed with the Wagyu; I only have about 25 purebred Wagyu and a couple of fullblood cows,” he says. “Our business is more about the marbling than the breeding. Some guys think they want 7/8 or even 31/32 Wagyu, but we are working more on the marbling. Every time we slaughter one of ours, we take a piece of the ribsteak to see the marbling, and I send that to my customers so they know what they will have,” explains Jeannot. “Until we kill the animal, we don’t know what it will actually be, regarding the marbling. With the Angus cross, however, it’s doing very well. We have three of us in this program (Wagyu Quebec)—Michel Gagne, Guy Noiseux and myself. Michel has been raising Angus for about 25 years, like me, but Guy’s father has been raising Angus for 50 years. We each have a farm here, within half an hour’s drive from one another, and we went in together to have enough cows (160 cows be 40

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

By Heather Smith-Thomas

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Ranch Reach | WW

tween the three of us) for our meat program. We also buy a few calves from a friend, Marco Guillette, who lives about 10 minutes from my farm. Marco has about 50 Angus cows he breeds to Wagyu bulls,” Jeannot says. “The first time Guy got some Wagyu, his father looked at him like he’d lost his mind. Those cattle didn’t look like beef animals! Everyone thought we were crazy in the beginning. The cows look a bit different, and when they saw the bull they said he had no backside and such small testicles! But people have to learn about these cattle and all their advantages,” he says. “We were going to Montreal for our marketing, and now it’s easy, but at first we gave away a lot of meat— until people knew what it was. At first we just said it was Kobe style because nobody knew what a Wagyu was. Now they know about it and they ask for Wagyu; no one asks for Kobe beef anymore. People in my country know what it is,” Jeannot says. The three breeders work together and do all the marketing themselves. “We don’t have anybody on the road doing it for us. We deal directly with 42

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

our customers ourselves. That way, if something is wrong, we know it. If you send someone out to market the meat for you, you would hire them on a commission. We deliver the meat ourselves, so we know what is going to happen and we have personal contact with the customers. When we go to the restaurants the chef knows us. We always check with the people to know what they want,” he says. “We have one chef who makes cookies and brownies with the fats from the carcass. When we butcher a steer, we give everything to the customer—the bones, the fat, etc. Last time we forgot to take him the box of fats, and the chef said, ‘Hey, where’s my fat?’ He really likes the fat, for baking pastries!” Wagyu Quebec also sells meat to a large hotel in Montreal. “We send them 200 pounds of bones because they want to make a special gravy with that. They also want the fat, to add a good flavor. We use every part of the animal, and people generally don’t know what they are eating, but it tastes good,” he explains. On April 20, 2016 the three Wa-

gyu producers participated in a special event at Montreal where more than 300 people came to taste various products made with Wagyu by different butchers. “We were treated like kings. People like the idea that we use every part of the carcass and they enjoyed tasting these products. There were hot dogs and sausage, pastrami made from the heart, jerky, smoked liver, ham made with Wagyu, as well as cookies, brownies and other pastries made with the fat from the Wagyu. This tasting event was a great success,” says Jeannot. “This was to show people that Wagyu is a lot more than just an excellent rib steak and filet mignon. If a person is selling only the popular cuts of meat it’s not hard to sell, but what are you going to do with the shoulder and the leg?” he asks. “When we started, the restaurants were calling us for just certain cuts, and we told them they had to take half a carcass, not just a few pieces from it. It was half a carcass, or nothing. So at the beginning they didn’t know what to do with the rest of it. We told them that they were supposed to be the good chefs, so they should be able to cook

Ranch Reach | WW

it—that it was their job to learn how to cook the meat! I told them, I can make nice meat, but you must make nice cooking!” The chefs had to learn how to use the other parts. The same thing with other customers. “They call us and they just want the steaks. Anybody can cook a steak, but they can also get creative and make something really nice with the other cuts. So today we just sell people a half a beef or nothing. Our meat now goes to about 5 butcher houses and 5 restaurants. We also have about 25 people every year who want some for their freezer,” says Jeannot. “There are a few breeders in Quebec who are raising only fullbloods. They look at us and tell us the fullblood is better. But we tell them, yes fullblood is better but maybe you’ll only sell 5 animals per year because it’s very expensive and people don’t know if it’s really that good or not. My Angus cows can make lots of F1s so more people can afford to taste it. If they like it they can then try the fullbloods. But no one wants to start out and just taste meat at a very high price!” A lot of people balk at the price, but if you can

get them to try something a little less expensive, they will know what it is, and get hooked on this excellent meat. After that they can try the fullblood product if they want to. They have to start someplace they can feel comfortable with. Some breeders think that all Wagyu breeders should try to raise fullbloods or purebreds, but not everyone can do that. “In our industry we need everyone—the large breeders and the small ones, and the people who raise F1s, too. That’s the only way we can do something good and produce enough animals,” he explains. A writer, Renee Laurin, recently wrote a book for Bufala Maciocia Farms (a company in Quebec that owns the largest water buffalo herd in North America) that makes a very special mozzarella cheese and yogurt from water buffalo milk. Around the world, production of milk from water buffalo is second only to cow’s milk. “In her book she talks about a lot of specialty gourmet foods and she mentioned our program--Wagyu Quebec—creating special meat. Everything in the book is different; each item is a very special

food. The book is written in French,” Jeannot says. His Wagyu cattle are fed all natural feeds to get them ready for slaughter. They are raised without growth hormones or antibiotics and are fed only regional products such as hay, malt (a mix of barley, corn and wheat) and apple pulp. “We hang and dry age the carcass for 30 days, which enhances the tenderness and flavor,” he explains. Jeannot does all of the cattle and farm work himself, since he doesn’t have family or hired help. “I have a young kid who takes care of my website but he is in the city. I am the only one on the farm, and selling my product with my two other partners. The same with Guy and Michel; they are doing their farms by themselves. The young kids go to school and do other things and make more money than us! They don’t want to come back to the farm!” The farms and herds in his part of the country are not large. “Fifty cows is considered a big herd, here. We don’t need more than that; we raise a special product and make special things. The nice thing about our market is that even though the price is high, the people Page 45 >> Wagyu World | May/June 2016

Health and Husbandry | WW

By Jeri Tulley

fter working with several large embryo transfer companies, Dr. Charles Looney decided to start his own embryo transfer business. The dream for his new venture would ideally put him and his family back in Texas. After living in California and Iowa, it was clear they wanted to be back in the South. In 1999, Dr. Looney began OvaGenix out of his garage. The plans he had for OvaGenix brought him closer to his current customer base and allowed him to service their needs. OvaGenix’s customers benefit from Looney’s extensive knowledge, based upon his experience in the industry and his scientific contacts. Looney describes himself as a person who does not invent new processes or techniques but one who is able to apply new technology, techniques, and ideas to his customers’ advantage. He travels to South America, Europe, Australia, India, and Japan, where he attends meetings and spends time researching the newest industry discoveries and trends. He then brings that information back to OvaGenix where he incorporates it into his daily practices to keep his clients on the cutting edge of genetic and reproductive sciences. Dr. Looney has applied these new techniques when working with several large

Wagyu World | May/June 2016

breeders in the South to improve their genetics faster through embryo transfer and IVF. Arturo and Charles met when Arturo was looking for a better technician for his embryo transfers after receiving very poor results from a first effort. Contacts at OvaGenix’s sister company, OvaMex, recommended Dr. Looney for the job. Charles traveled to Mexico and put in the second batch of embryos to start Mateos Bay’s Wagyu herd. This acquaintance eventually developed into a powerful joint venture after security concerns in Mexico led Mateos Bays to relocate his base of operations to Iola, Texas, near Texas A&M University. Now, the OvaGenix facility resides on Mateos Bay’s Marble Ranch. OvaGenix helps with all aspects of Marble Ranch’s reproductive program while bringing a lot of activity and visitors to the ranch. Looney says, “It allows our other customers to get a feel for the Wagyu activity. It is a win-win situation for both OvaGenix and Marble.” Tours of the facility are

available by request, and OvaGenix frequently employs interns from major universities in the area. Looney points out “We are in the education business more than you would think because everybody wants to understand how this works.” For the Wagyu breed, OvaGenix’s focus is on improving and moving Wagyu genetics as fast as they can so that they can help Marble Ranch provide high quality meat to its markets. Once a rancher decides the genetic lines he or she wants to breed, Dr. Looney’s main goal is to improve the efficiency for that client and get more cattle bred faster. With his experience working with breeding Wagyu cattle, Dr. Looney is

impressed with the genetics that compose fertility in the breed. He says, “They yield a much higher than average embryo production. From time to time these collections can produce more than ten embryos.” Experience with the breed showed Looney that Wagyu are more heat tolerant than he expected them to be. Higher temperatures usually mean lower reproductive capabilities, but Looney has seen good results both in Texas and Mexico even during the hottest months of summer. As a whole, Dr. Looney believes that Wagyu have excellent reproductive tracts, that they take embryos really well, and that the semen is good quality too. Over the past three years, OvaGenix has produced over 1,000 embryos each year for Marble Ranch, creating a large bank of embryos for its personal use and for domestic and international sales. OvaGenix is USDA approved and inspected twice a year. On top of that, every country that it exports to (i.e. Argentina or Brazil), has its own set of requirements that the facility must meet. Once all the requirements are met, the embryos are shipped via air freight to clients in those countries. Looney says, “Wagyu is really starting to heat up for exports more people from all over the world are eating the meat in restaurants and realizing how good it really is. We have inquiries all over, even in the Pacific Rim.” Looney explains that in other countries the quality of the beef just isn’t the same as in the US because of our superior system of feedlots. “People travel and experience the taste of Wagyu, and I think that the interest will continue to grow.” Dr. Looney enjoys the relatively small size of OvaGenix, because, he says, “It allows us to be able to get toeto-toe with our customers on a regular basis…to really get to know our clients and what their goals and objectives are so that they can get the results they want.” Dr. Looney and OvaGenix invite you to come see the facility, to get to know them, and to experience their personal customer service.

<< Page 43 who want our meat don’t ask about the price. They want to taste it, then they want to have it, and they don’t bother about the price. They want something really good. Those people have money, so they don’t care.” This meat is so much better than what you can buy at the store. “I enjoy doing this but I’m now 64 years old so I don’t know how much longer I will be doing it—maybe 4 or 5 years more. It’s a hard business, and it’s also challenging in our country because there are some funny rules. For instance, the butcher at the slaughterhouse called me recently. We used to hang our carcasses for 30 days and now we are only allowed to hang them for 15 days because the inspectors think that it’s dangerous to hang them longer because they think people might get sick! There are so many rules and regulations, and these may eventually put a lot of producers out of business. In ten years there may be only Cargill’s rules! The big outfits want to do away with the small producers and have it all.” Then the customers won’t have

choices and they also won’t know what they are eating. “Our meat is more expensive. People may not understand why our meat is $10 a pound while other meat is $5 a pound, so we have to explain that there are no added hormones in our meat, no steroids, and it is healthier meat,” says Jeannot. He is very excited about the AI sire he is currently using a lot. “He is Jiro 22T FB7879 at Semex. We learned from Mel Crane in Prince Edward Island that this bull tested highly (double copy for SCD aa and Exon 5 BB, and 10 on tenderness). The growth hormone Exon 5 test is a method for evaluating Wagyu cattle for growth rate and marbling, and the preferred genotype for producing bulls for F1 production are BB, BC and CC. I believe it, because when we slaughtered some of this bull’s progeny (male and female, carcass weights 830 to 990 pounds) the marbling was excellent. I think he will be a leader in our program. Now we are trying to find another sire with the same success, to build the best.” Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Phenotypically, one of the most impressive sires in the breed, Red Galaxy has been used widely in the U.S. & internationally to add volume, muscle and milking ability. He blends some of the breed’s best genetics and stacks Hikari and Shigemaru on both sides of his pedigree. AA for SCD and defect free. Look for Galaxy Daughters and sexed embryos from ST Genetics in 2017. 3/4 blood females sired by Red Galaxy sexed semen. Courtesy of: Texana Feeders, Floresville TX

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

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Wagyu World | May/June 2016

prst standard u.s. postage paid Tucson, AZ Permit No. 271