The Australian Wagyu Update

update

th e australian

wagyu

issue 43

AUG 2009

The Australian Wagyu Update is produced by the Australian Wagyu Association Ltd. on behalf of the membership

IN THIS ISSUE n

Top Chef celebrates Wagyu

n

Organic Wagyu finds a niche

n

National AWA conference information

n

Bedrock's strong consumer response

n

Wine-fed beef makes its mark

n

Calf harvest in full swing

DATES for THE DIARY Early bird deadline Sept 4th 2009 Wagyu Conference

n

n

AWA Conference Sept 25-27th 2009

American Wagyu Oct 29-31st 2009 Annual Meeting

n

Wagyu Update Nov 1st 2009 Advertising deadline

n

Genetics focus for ‘09 conference WAGYU cattle breeders from all Australian states will converge on the NSW Central Coast city of Coffs Harbour for the 2009 Australian Wagyu Association conference, which this year carries a special focus on genetics.

th

1989 2009

20

AWA CELEBRATES 20 YRS OF AUSTRALIAN WAGYU

Coffs Harbour’s idyllic Aanuka Beach Resort will play host this this year’s conference.

above

Set down for Friday to Sunday September 25-27, it is again expected to attract a wide cross-section of industry stakeholders from breeders to feedlot operators, wholesalers, exporters and others involved in the Wagyu supply chain.

Venue for all the 2009 conference and social activity is the beautiful Aanuka Beach Resort, positioned on absolute beachfront just north of Coffs, with magnificent ocean views and surrounded by open parklands. The facility offers stylish accommodation ranging from hotel rooms and beach bures to villas and apartments, and an array of dining choices.

First official function on the Friday evening as guests arrive will be the popular Meet and

Greet cocktail party, sponsored

by Elders International, where delegates can renew old acquaintances and make new ones. The Annual General Meeting of the Australian Wagyu Association will take place first-up on Saturday morning, prior to the start of the formal conference sessions.

As the name suggests, this year’s conference theme, ‘Building Links with Genetics’ will adopt a strong technical focus, with genetic improvement being the central topic.

The keynote speaker will be Japanese animal scientist, Professor Tetsuo Kunieda from Okayama University. His primary area of interest is in recessive disorders in Wagyu cattle. Prof Kunieda is the

first high ranking Japanese academic involved in the cattle industry to speak at an Australian Wagyu conference, and his address will be keenly anticipated.

Prof Kunieda’s presentation will cover the topic “Understanding recessive disorders and genetic conditions in Wagyu cattle.”

His focus will be to look at the main genetic disorders present in Wagyu. Other key conference topics related to genetics this year include: n The release of new GROUP BREEDPLAN EBV results, including information on the new economic Dollar Indexes seen for the first time Continued page 7

2

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

wagyu news

Top chef celebrates organic Wagyu

Top Sydney chef Justin North is providing strong support for the development of a certified organic grassfed Wagyu niche in the Australian food service industry.

below Top

Sydney chef Justin North pauses while preparing some of the 6000 Wagyu burgers sold during Brisbane’s Greenfest.

The 2009 Sydney Morning Herald Chef of the Year, Justin operates the highly successful award-winning Becasse and Etch restaurants in Sydney’s inner city area. He is an enthusiastic advocate for ethical, sustainable food products, and features Certified Organic Wagyu F2 beef from Rob Lennon’s Gundooee Wagyu herd near Dunedoo in NSW on his menus, along with a range of other Certified Organic produce. Justin was in Brisbane in early June for Greenfest, a major cultural and food festival celebrating World Environment Day, where he gave a series of cooking demonstrations using Gundooee beef and other organic ingredients. One demonstration on the festival stage included taking a full bonein rib and boning out the rib-cap and scotch fillet to prepare in two different ways.

“We dry-age our Wagyu beef for up to six weeks before use in the restaurants. In the process, some of the moisture evaporates, producing an even more concentrated flavour.

The enzymes also help break down the beef fibres and connective tissue, further improving the texture,” he said.

The downside for users of dry-aging was that up to 30 percent of the original weight could be lost through the process, and there was a delay of six weeks before getting a ‘return on the investment.’ Regardless of these costs, however, Justin insists that the process delivers an extremely high quality eating experience, which more than justifies the effort. In his flagship restaurant, Becasse, Justin puts the spotlight squarely on his ingredient suppliers, like Rob and Nita Lennon at Gundooee.

“It puts into perspective the larger picture about the role that the producer plays, and what they have to do to get a high quality product to us, under organic conventions,” he said. Justin and his team prepared 6000 lightly-seasoned Gundooee Wagyu patties to feed to the hungry hoardes during Brisbane’s Greenfest festival.

The burgers, which sold like hot-cakes at $12 each, were a tasty introduction for consumers to the delights of non-grainfed Wagyu.

“I thought people attending would be interested to see a different product,” Justin said during the event. “Organic Wagyu is quite unique, and represents a new market segment for beef generally in Australia.”

He first offered the Wagyu pattie burgers at the recent Taste of Sydney food festival, where they were an equally big hit among patrons, accounting for another 6000 serves.

While the great majority of Wagyu in Australia was raised on extended grainfeeding programs producing a rich, highly-marbled, powerful product, Justin believes there is a strong niche opportunity for a lighter, leaner, healthy Wagyu option through organics and grassfeeding.

“This Gundooee beef, for example, is raised on native perennial grasses, is free of HGP, and is tender and rich in flavour,” he said.

“The difference with grassfed beef is that the texture can tend to be a little chewier, which the public often perceives as poorer quality beef.

While this Gundooee product is from grassfed animals, it’s Wagyu, so it remains very tender.” n

www.wagyu.org.au

3

from the editor

Future directions Seikidoi is dead. So too is Shikikan.

So too is Sanjiro, and Haruki II and Terutani 40/1 and J001, J002, J003 and many more familiar names that we have come to recognise as the genetic base on which the Wagyu herd in Australia has been created.

The semen from some North American bulls can no longer be imported for health and quarantine reasons. The semen from others is either no longer available or now in short supply. These bulls represent all the male genetic material imported from Japan in the 1990’s and they will soon all be gone. Importation of further genetic material from Japan cannot be anticipated in the foreseeable future. What we have is what we have got.

An era is almost over and stage one of the history of the Wagyu breed in Australia will soon be complete. From now on the development of the Wagyu herd will be dependent on the genetics that we breed for ourselves. To date our herd has been heavily influenced by Japanese breeding philosophy. From now on we will, of necessity, be using our own genetics. The choice is now ours. We can either choose to continue to develop in accordance with Japanese breeding principles or we can choose to develop our own animal to best fit our own environment and our own markets. This is a choice that we must get right. The bulls that we breed in the next decade will determine the direction our breed takes for many years to come.

This is to state the obvious. Yet it has great significance as we are at a point of potential divergence with the Japanese Wagyu industry. If we do not take great care with our breeding programs now it CONTRIbutors

these animals genetic gain cannot be achieved, the market place cannot buy with confidence and the industry will stagnate.

Because Wagyu is a stabilised composite breed there is more potential for genetic gain through a progeny-testing program than there is for more traditional British and European breeds. Thus there will be a better return on investment.

The impending loss of further Japanese genetics represents an opportune time for our Society to decide whether or not we wish to develop an industry based progeny testing program and if so in what format would we be best served.

To be successful a progeny-testing program needs to be affordable, credible, reliable, relevant and reproducible. It needs a simple structure, should be able to be implemented on farm and have standard documentation. Ideally it should be able to be linked, via reference sires, to Japanese progeny testing systems in order to have significance for the Asian marketplace.

If the development of a progeny testing protocol were to take place widespread consultation would be necessary. The final format would best be reviewed by a cattle geneticist to add scientific credibility.

If progeny testing works for predicting sire performance why not apply the process to the assessment of females?

Fifty percent of an animal’s genetic compliment is derived from the dam.

This would allow in farm comparison of dam lines and the identification of superior dams within those lines. Optimal mating combinations can then be planned.

The production of superior dams and sires, supported by vigorous assessment and documentation, and results published in the public arena is the foundation on which all segments of the Wagyu industry can proceed and develop.

Angus McClure disclaimer

writers Enoch Bergman, Rick Hunter, Michael Beattie, Nicole Szollos

wagyu breedplan executive officer Michael Beattie email michael.beattie@abri.une.edu.au phone 02 6773 3355 | fax 02 6772 5376 Australian Wagyu Association, ABRI, University of New England, ARMIDALE NSW 2351 AUSTRALIA

art direction Heather Frazier email heather@squishcreative.com phone 0432 949 764

MAGAZINE ENQUIRIES phone 02 6773 3138 email office@wagyu.org.au

service by the magazine of the Association, nor

Editor Angus McClure email auswagyu@bigpond.com phone 0400 435 631

4

will be very difficult and costly to correct the mistakes later. If access to the original Japanese genetics is soon to be lost where are the replacement bulls? Almost certainly they already exist. We have been very fortunate that those who selected the genetics to import chose well. It stands to reason, therefore, that, if bred skilfully, their offspring should potentially be as good if not better. These animals have not, however, necessarily been identified and promoted. Some have not even been identified by their owners. In part this is because we do not yet have a coordinated system for evaluating and documenting genetic potential.

The defining characteristic of Wagyu is meat quality. There is as yet no single tool to measure and predict meat quality. There are ranges of scientific techniques, which together create a picture. DNA parent verification, EBV’s, and MSA grading are current reasonably well-developed programs. SNP trait loci analysis is in its developmental stage, has great potential but will not be of general application for perhaps a decade.

Progeny testing is perhaps the most relevant assessment for predicting meat quality currently available to us. The technique is considered scientifically valid. A coordinated progeny-testing program specific for the Wagyu breed could be developed and implemented within a relatively short time frame.

Wagyu is a stabilised composite breed. The degree of stability may not yet be complete. This give us the advantages of both the hybrid vigour associated with cross breeding and the potential for genetic gain associated with line breeding. This also explains in part why some animals perform far better than their pedigrees would predict and others do not meet expectations. If we do not utilise a method of differentiating

The views expressed in the Wagyu Update are not necessarily those of the Australian Wagyu Update or the publisher. Reproduction in whole or part is strictly forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. Acceptance of an advertisement does not imply endorsement of any product or support any claims by the advertisers. Published

by Squish Creative. Printed by Litho Art.

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

chairman’s report

Better times ahead for industry Local and international signals suggest that Wagyu, and indeed the broader grainfed cattle industry, are now edging past the bottom of the recent industry cycle and can look forward to some more encouraging times ahead.

At time of writing this column, the Australian dollar was worth about US79c, down from its lofty highs this time last year when it was close to parity with the Greenback. That 20pc decline in comparative value is making our Wagyu exports more attractive and better value on the international stage than they were a year ago.

Many customer countries are now also ridding themselves of the credit access issues which made purchasing difficult

www.wagyu.org.au

or impossible during much of 2008.

On the production side, feed grain prices have continued to decline this year, on the back of a solid summer crop harvest and excellent prospects in many areas for a large winter harvest ahead. Barley ex Darling Downs was trading in mid July at $225/t – a far cry from prices of $350/t or more seen earlier last year.

It’s interesting to note, also, that some Wagyu cattle feeders are now fine-tuning their feeding regimes to optimise the efficiency of operations. In some cases this means backgrounding cattle longer, placing them on feed a little older and heavier, and reducing the days on feed a little. The challenge many are facing is in how far this process can be taken without compromising marbling performance in any significant way. There has been no shortage of acknowledgement for quality Wagyu beef products during recent important national food industry events.

At the recent 2009 Vogue Entertainment and Travel magazine awards, leading producers Blackmore

Wagyu, Mayura Station and Sher Wagyu all received major commendations, in a field including many of Australia’s premium food producers and suppliers.

Similarly, Wagyu-infused entries shone in the Royal Brisbane Show’s National Branded Beef taste test held in July.

An F1 sample representing the Australian Agricultural Company’s Darling Downs Wagyu brand was judged overall champion, while an F2 sample from Cabassi & Rea was runner-up, and winner of the open class.

I look forward to seeing as many members as possible at this year’s annual conference and annual general meeting in Coffs Harbour. The excellent speaker program focussing on genetic issues should attract a strong audience again this year, and there will be important discussion on a host of important industry issues, such as Wagyu certification. The social aspects, as always, promise to be another highlight for members……See you there!

Rick Hunter

5

in the paddock

Organic Wagyu finds a niche At face value, the ideals of Wagyu beef and grassfed Certified Organic beef production might appear to be in direct conflict, however one NSW family enterprise is proving that the two can comfortably co-exist.

Rob and Nita Lennon from Gundooee, near Dunedoo are believed to be the world’s only Certified Organic Wagyu beef producers. After spending a decade managing farming enterprises for others, the couple bought their own property near Dunedoo 11 years ago. With finances low, they originally agisted their country before gradually working their way into their own cattle breeding program.

It was through an early association with their next-door neighbours, Rick Hunter, the current AWA president, and his wife Dawne that the Lennons first began to explore the possibilities in Wagyu.

“We used to go over for barbecues, and while Rick did not make a big deal out of it, I thought, wow, this beef is really nice,” Rob said.

At that time, the Japanese live feeder steer market was very strong, and after doing some reading about the health benefits associated with Wagyu, the couple bought their first bull from the Hunters in 2001.

The first conference Rob attended at the Gold Coast in 2004 proved a ‘real eye opener’.

Organic Certification in 2005.

The Lennons felt that by incorporating both ‘Organic’ and ‘Wagyu’ into their business model, this would provide choices over how the product was marketed, using either point of difference in the marketplace.

“That sounded great in theory, but in reality, it meant we could not pursue either stream effectively in isolation, regardless of which way we sold the cattle. We either went through all the limitations associated with Organic production, and then sold the cattle to a conventional feedlot; or we copped the Wagyu’s slower growth and other limitations and sold them as nonbreed specific Organic beef.”

....one of the secrets in making a process like this work was in trying to find the right end-customer to do business with.

“We came away thinking that while Wagyu live export was a great stepping stone, we were also interested in Organic principles. Nita had just finished a Masters in Natural Resources, which led us in that direction,” he said.

Eventually in 2005, under guidance from Helen Favour from the Organic Traders and Consumers Network (a body helping Organic producers market their products) the Lennons decided to try to retain ownership .of their unique product further down the supply chain.

The business spent two years in transition before receiving full BFA

They headed for Sydney armed with some sample T-bones, and the addresses

6

of four butchers who were interested in sampling Certified Organic Wagyu.

“It wasn’t hung or aged or cut terribly well, but it was enough to establish some long-lasting business relationships,” Rob said.

One of those first contacts was Tony Jenkins, a progressive Balmain butcher who remains one of the Lennons’ core customers to this day.

Rob said one of the secrets in making a process like this work was in trying to find the right end-customer to do business with, and then working hard on building a close working relationship.

Today Gundooee services a range of boutique high-end independent butchers in Sydney and Canberra and some key food service sector outlets, who understand and support Gundooee’s unique approach.

While most of the business is through direct trading with retailers, two providores are also used to extend the reach. One of these is also developing a promising direct home-delivery retail business.

One of the more recently recruited customers is high profile Sydney chef, Justin North, whom Rob met at the 2007 AWA conference in Brisbane. Justin and staff visited Gundooee in 2008, and the business today is the sole beef supplier to Justin’s three award-winning restaurants.

All of the customer-direct work is in fullsets, not specific cuts, either in whole or half-bodies, sold on a cold carcase weight basis. n

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

Move from F1 to F2 emphasis The first Wagyu to arrive on Gundooee in 2001 was a fullblood Takeda-bloodline son of Itomichi, bred at Sweetwater, NSW.

Gundooee’s Rob Lennon with a line of F1 breeders on the property last spring. Conditions have deteriorated considerably since this photo was taken.

above

from page 1 - Genetics focus for ‘09 conference n The effects of inbreeding, using

Breedplan and inbreeding coefficients to better understand the issues related to inbreeding. Speaker in these segments will come from either ABRI or AGBU n The benefits of ultrasound scanning from a genetic selection perspective, presented by Wayne Upton from AGBU n DNA/genomic technologies update presented by US-based beef extension specialist, Dr Alison Van Eenennaam, from University of California, Davis n An MLA senior representative will provide a snapshot on the global market situation for high quality beef.

The final session will involve all guest speakers in an interactive question and answer session with the audience. The major social highlight of the weekend will be the industry dinner on Saturday evening, featuring beef supplied by AA Co and a charity auction. On Sunday morning, a condensed version of the Southern Beef Technology Service’s ‘Know Your Genes’ program will be delivered. A barbecue lunch will then conclude the conference for 2009.

The years major sponsor is Ancare again, with other major support from Stanbroke Beef, Commonwealth Bank and AA Co. Conference accommodation, from 121 per night can be booked direct with BreakFree Aanuka Beach Resort. Registration details are on the AWA website. Book early avoid disappointment. www.wagyu.org.au n

www.wagyu.org.au

Initially the plan was to use him to produce F1 feeder cattle out of Angus breeders for sale into the live export market to Japan, but by the time the Lennons move towards direct supply to domestic end-users had emerged, the strategy changed a little. Going into a bad drought, they decided to use the circumstances as an opportunity to make a change.

“We elected to retain our F1 weaner females for use as breeders.

They were not worth much at the time due to the drought, and we felt the bigger-framed Angus would have higher maintenance requirements during the dry,” Rob said. “While we would lose the income from the heifer calves for that year, we had the opportunity to change our emphasis from breeding F1s to F2s.”

Today the business maintains about 120 F1 breeders, producing a similar number of calves each year. Both heifer and steer progeny are sold, with replacement F1 breeders bought as required.

“Ultimately we felt that if we wanted to call our beef a ‘Wagyu product’, the genetics needed to be predominantly Wagyu, rather than 50 percent. The other attraction in moving to F2 was that the additional Wagyu content could help us maintain as much residual Wagyu meat quality and marbling performance as possible without the growth rate limitations of Fullblood Wagyu, and the smaller framed cattle are easier to maintain during times of drought.”

Statistics suggest that has been a successful decision. In one recent kill at Cowra abattoir, a line of eight Gundooee F2 carcases which had come through a ‘pretty rough autumn’ produced a pair of marbling score 6s, two score 2s, and the remainder intermediate between those extremes.

“By and large, our target, off native pasture grass, is marbling scores 3

and 4, and we are hitting that with considerable regularity,” Rob said.

The business aims at turning off animals producing a cold carcase weight of 250-260kg at 24plus months of age. Like all Wagyu breeders, one of the challenges faced

by Gundooee is how to convert more of those score 2 cattle into score 5s or 6s. The Lennons are working closely with NSW Department of Ag extension officer, Brett Littler, to refine the management process to help deliver this. Because of seasons and other circumstances, 2008 was the first year for some time that the business has been able to motherup cows and calves, which will allow for some subsequent cow family marbling assessment based on progeny performance. When all future intakes of replacement F1 heifers are purchased, all subsequent calves will be mothered-up, allowing the bottom 10-20pc to be culled on marbling performance.

“But having said all that, we won’t be selecting on marbling alone, partly because the market does not yet demand outright marbling from grassfed, and partly because we don’t want to compromise too much on other functional traits like growth rate, muscling and ultimate carcase weight,” Rob said.

Because under its Organic principles, Artificial Insemination is not allowed to be used, the Gundooee business continues to rely solely on natural mating.

“A few years ago we had one bull joined to 117 cows and heifers, over a nine week period. The libido of these cattle is incredible. He got 116 pregnant,” Rob said.

Current bulls in use are sons of TF Itoshigenami (US) and Bald Ridge Hayafuku, both sourced from Rick Hunter’s Bald Ridge herd.

Continued page 9

7

8

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

in the paddock

Asked where the price point sat for Gundooee Wagyu, given that its production cost was significantly lower than longfed Wagyu (or longfed Angus, for that matter) Rob gave a careful, and measured response.

‘I try to stay away from comparisons with grainfed. They are two distinctly different products,” he said.

Premiums possible for grassfed Wagyu

“It’s a little like wine: there’s a diverse palate out there – many people still like grainfed, while others are seeking a product with other qualities. There are no wrong answers, but suffice to say that the returns we get make it worth our while to pursue the strategy we have.

The Wagyu name still carries some resonance in terms of a premium, within a grassfed/ Organic context,” he said.

“We’d like to make our product available to all Australians, for ‘special occasion’ type dining.”

Gundooee’s line of F1 breeders on the property last spring.

above

from page 7 - Move from F1 to F2

One of the burning questions that Rob is not yet able to answer is whether there are phenotypes within the Japanese cattle that have a greater capacity to express marbling, off grass, than others.

Just as some Wagyu sires are better suited to F1 production than others, it may be that there are sub-types whose progeny perform relatively better off grassfed programs.

The growing number of Wagyu breeders interested in grassfed programs would help identify elite bulls for grassfed production, Rob hopes.

“There are certainly a lot more people looking at grassfed Wagyu now. At the first few Wagyu conferences I attended, I felt I was out on a limb, but more recently, it has become obvious that more people are moving in that direction, either through high grain costs or other, consumerwww.wagyu.org.au

“But there is still a huge awareness gap in terms of both the consumer and the industry side about products like this, apart from a few dedicated players. Before the product can be

based reasons.”

“In the early days, it may have been that some members felt that unless you were using long grainfeeding finishing systems that allowed the animals to fully express their marbling potential, that you weren’t fully committed to the Wagyu cause.”

However that attitude had softened considerably in more recent times, and there was now greater acceptance of grassfed as an emerging industry niche.

“We find there are numerous reasons why customers are interested in a grassfed and/or an Organic product, which still retains the customary Wagyu tenderness and juiciness. Some say it is because of the distinct robust grassfed flavour; others say it is because of the negative environmental implications in grainfeeding; still others say it is for the healthy attributes attached to Organics (the high Omega 3 levels in Wagyu only accentuated this). There are

well understood by the customer, however, it must be well understood and appreciated at the wholesale, retail and restaurant level.”

The Lennons supply a product data sheet with every carcase, and try to work with butchers and restaurant staff, so they can better understand the product they are receiving in terms of feeding/breeding.

“That way, when they are asked, they can give a better-informed response,” Rob said.

Each carcase is DNA-traceable back to the farm through the AWA commercial registration system.

The unique aspects to the Lennons’ beef operation have not gone unnoticed around the food world. A film crew from a major US cable food channel visited the property late last year, and following the broadcast a month or two ago in America, the Gundooee website received 1200 hits within in a short time, and numerous email requests for product.

Even outside this recent TV exposure, the website www.gundooeeorganics.com.au regularly receives 200 to 300 hits per month. n

countless reasons,” Rob said.

He warned that there were some inherent challenges involved in Organic production, however. In Gundooee’s case, drought over the past six months has forced the business to agist all of its breeders on a property in southern Queensland. That required a hunt for a similarly-accredited Certified Organic property.

As the property providing the agistment was also EUaccredited, Gundooee has also had to adopt EU-accreditation, although there are no long-term plans to exploit this aspect.

Currently the 2008 weaners receive BFA-approved copra meal as a supplement.

Sale cattle also receive an appropriate grain (untreated in-crop) paddock supplement amounting to about 5pc of dry matter intake per head per day.

All the country on Gundooee is native perennial pastures, principally bluegrass, wallaby

grass, kangaroo grass, white-top and similar species.

The country is time-control cell-grazed in 30 15ha paddocks. Cattle entering the finishing phase, or weaners, are given first access to a fresh paddock for five-days, followed by the breeders, in a ‘leader/follower’ system.

Rob firmly believes that the use of non-irrigated native pastures, as opposed to irrigated exotics like ryegrass (which carry a high moisture and energy content), is one of the keys in delivering a full-flavoured grassfed Wagyu product.

Despite the fact that organic programs make no particular claims over animal welfare issues, under BFA guidelines, for example, the Lennons cannot dehorn calves over six months of age, nor can they use a range of animal treatments used under conventional production systems. n

9

Veterinary advice

calf harvest under way

Calving! The best time of year! To me, nothing beats watching calves whipping and spurring about the paddock with their tails held high like safety antennas on miniature four wheeled motor bikes.

Calving season is in effect the beef and dairy production system’s harvest. Just like in the grain game, timing, know how, appropriate gear, and professional assistance can all improve your bottom line.

When it comes to assisting animals during calving season, the key is appropriately timed intervention. Tired heifers aren’t

10

much help at expelling dead calves. Arriving on the job before they get to that stage is half the game.

As cows and heifers approach their calving date their udders fill and the ligaments which support their vulvas relax. Heifers are especially easy to pick out as they bag up and get springy. If you are experiencing a calving wreck, weekly drafting of the “heavies” and keeping them close at hand can help you out tremendously.

The act of parturition is divided into three stages. Stage one begins with the initiation of labour and ends when the water breaks. Stage two lasts from the breaking of the water till the calf hits the ground.

Stage three is from delivery

story by Enoch Bergman DVM Swans Veterinary Services

until the placenta is passed.

As a heifer or cow enters stage one she will usually begin “nesting”, separating herself from the remainder of the mob and hunting for a spot to lie down. She will often appear uncomfortable, shifting her weight, arching her back, or wringing her tail. Stage one should not last more than eight hours. Progression to stage two requires the head or a leg of the calf to enter the cervix.

If you note an animal walking the fences, mildly straining, or packing their tail for over eight hours: put her in the crush and have a look. She may be carrying a breech calf which has failed to enter the cervix.

If left alone, the calf will die, and a few days later the heifer or cow will probably suffer the same fate. Putting your arm inside and “having a look” won’t ever hurt a cow or calf, but may save many.

Stage two begins after the “bag” has broken. The heifer or cow should have the calf delivered within two hours and make visible progress every half hour. If either of these criteria is not met: put her in the crush and have a look. Any animal with an abnormal presentation, ie. leg back, head back, reverse presentation, etc. should be examined immediately.

Calves with swollen heads and tongues or with green or yellow staining should be examined immediately. Swelling indicates prolonged time spent in the birth canal, staining of fetal

fluids and skin of the calf is from meconium, or calf feces, also indicating a stressed calf.

If fetal parts are noted to glide in and out of the heifer’s vulva, or the heifer vocalizes with each contraction, the cervix and soft tissue are likely still in the process of dilatation. Such a heifer has probably not been trying long. If that heifer does not make progress within a half hour assistance should be rendered. Alternatively, if the calf’s fetal parts fail to move with each push, the calf is probably too big for the heifer’s pelvis: put her in the crush and have a look! Oversize calves can also present with crossed forelimbs or with the soles of their forelegs rotated so that the “palms” are together.

Most dysocias, or difficult calvings, present normally, meaning that the calf has presented head first with all of the appropriate limbs postured correctly, however the heifer’s pelvis is too small in proportion to the size of the calf. If the calf is in a normal position but oversized, the first step is working out if you can pull it without injuring the calf or the heifer.

When the calf is too large for the heifer or cow, additional traction may be the required to assist with deliver. That’s traction, not tractors! Calf pullers work well, but care should be taken. The force of two strong men is all that should be needed to deliver a calf. Continued page 20

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

www.wagyu.org.au

11

product information

GENESIS Pour-On Genesis Pour-On contains ivermectin, a macrocyclic lactone (ML) anthelmintic. The key advantage of ivermectin is its ability to effectively control a wide range of internal and external parasites. Genesis Pour on has a broad spectrum of activity against gastrointestinal roundworms, lungworms, both sucking and biting lice, mites, cattle tick and buffalo fly. The unique oil-based formulation of Genesis Pour-On contains 10mg/ml of ivermectin, which is twice the usual concentration of ML pour-ons.

This means Genesis Pour-On is applied at the rate of 1mL per 20kg of liveweight. Genesis Pour-On can be applied to cattle at several key treatment times throughout the year, which should generally be tailored to the production system and climate. Your local veterinarian or animal health advisor can provide you with more information on treatment programs suited to your production system. It is good practice to conduct worm egg counts both before and after drenching in order to identify which stock require treatment, and to check to see if the drench used has been effective.

EPRICARE Pour-On

CATTLE POUR ON OPTIONS COVERED With so many pour-on products in the marketplace, it is important to remember the advantages of buying a quality product. Ancare has a range of products for the control of internal and external parasites of cattle. With the recent addition of Epricare to the Ancare cattle pour-on arsenal, cattle producers can now choose from three Ancare pour-on products to suit their management system and requirements.

The quality pour-on endectocides from Ancare are available at CRT stores with convenience of use, efficacy and value for money in mind.

Each Ancare pour-on product has been shown in studies to be effective when applied to cattle shortly before rainfall. Epricare in particular has unique “weatherproof” qualities that ensure its efficacy when used in extremes of temperature (both heat and cold) when applied before and after rain. Contact your local CRT store, the exclusive stockists of Ancare products, for more advice on the quality Ancare cattle pour-on range or contact the Ancare technical helpline direct on 1800 001 973.

12

A recent addition to the Ancare pour-on range is Epricare Pour-On. Epricare contains the potent ML molecule eprinomectin.

Some of the key advantages of eprinomectin are its very high potency against gastrointestinal roundworms, its rapid speed of kill and resultant prompt reduction in pasture contamination (worm egg production), and its demonstrated potency against a wide range of roundworm species. Productivity studies have shown that the use of Epricare improves liveweight gains in growing stock, as well as improved reproductive performance in breeders including reduced calving to conception intervals. The eprinomectin molecule, despite its high potency, has zero milk and meat withholding periods, allowing a high level of flexibility in its use.

GENESIS ULTRA Pour-On Developed for the control of liver fluke in beef cattle grazing in endemic areas.

Genesis Ultra Pour-On (“Ultra”) combines both abamectin, a potent ML endectocide for the control of internal and external parasites, with triclabendazole, a potent flukicide. The key advantage of Ultra is its convenient pour-on method of application, which has superseded the use of injectable and oral flukicides in many situations. Ultra is effective against all stages of liver fluke (early immature, immature and mature fluke), and is generally applied to susceptible stock in late autumn / early winter and spring. The autumn treatment removes existing fluke burdens from cattle when there is little potential for reinfection due to the reduced presence of snails (the intermediate host of liver fluke) and metacercariae (infective larval fluke) on pasture. Treatment again in spring removes any flukes that might have survived the winter period inside stock, thus helping to prevent pasture contamination as the snail intermediate host becomes active with the onset of warmer weather. In warmer areas like northern NSW, where infective stages may survive on pasture over winter, additional treatments may be required.

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

www.wagyu.org.au

13

world markets

Japanese wagyu feels the pinch As the global financial crisis continues to bite deeply into Japan’s economy, consumers are seeking cheaper red meat options on supermarket shelves, and moving from more expensive restaurants to hamburger and family style outlets when dining out.

14

High-priced domestically produced Wagyu is bearing much of the brunt of the more defensive buying patterns. In some cases, domestic Wagyu is being displaced by imported marbled grainfed beef from Australia.

In mid June, Meat & Livestock Australia reported that beef carcase prices in Japan had been weakening across all categories, according to reports from the Tokyo Meat Market. The fall was most evident for high quality Wagyu, with A5 (the top grade both in yield and meat quality) steers recording their lowest daily price since early 2002 (the period of instability immediately following the discovery of BSE in Japan). The price in mid-June reached as low as Y1909/kg.

Values of domestic carcases plummeted in 2001 following the BSE discovery in Japan, but mostly recovered by 2003. Prices again started to decline in early 2008, as the Japanese economy slowed and supply increased. The downward trend had accelerated this year, particularly for the higher grade categories, MLA said. The

fall in price has assisted sales of Japanese domestic beef at retail, with point-of-sale data from Japan’s Agriculture and Livestock Industries Corporation showing a consecutive year-on-year increase in purchase volumes for both Wagyu and Japanese dairy beef since February 2008.

This is in line with overall increases in total beef consumption by the Japanese, up 4pc for the January-April period this year, compared with the same period in 2008. The lift in demand has not been sufficient to cover the decline in revenue for cattle farmers, however, with many facing financial challenges, according to trade reports. This is despite significant declines in their imported feed costs this year, following the appreciation of the Japanese Yen against many other currencies. Some Japanese supermarkets recently lowered retail price on domestic Wagyu by a further 3-5pc, partly to compete with lower prices being posted on imported beef because of the recent depreciation of other currencies against the Yen. n

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

the executive officer report

Members, welcome to our “NEW LOOK” winter edition. This is YOUR magazine. It”s purpose is to promote, educate and provide an update of all the happenings within the Wagyu community.

Please feel free to make suggestions that you would like to see put in print.

For those of us living on the tablelands winter treatment has been a little slow in coming this year. While welcoming rains over the past few months have been encouraging with a combination of minimal sub-zero mornings, the countryside still displays a tinge of green.

This appearance usually has disappeared by late May but, history tells us that our dreaded winter will only be extended at the other end!

2009 AGM / CONFERENCE 25-27th September (Coffs Harbour) Planning is well underway for activities surrounding the 2009 event. By the time you read this a flyer a registration form would have already been received. With the AGM /Conference held again in September, the early bird deadline is only a month away – September 4!!

A flyer has been included in this edition as a reference to this year’s exciting event.

Details are available on the website so if you know of anyone interested in coming along for a great weekend of networking, learning and enjoyment, please direct them to either the website www.wagyu.org.au or contact us on 02 6773 3138 for further details. Remember, your membership is highly valued and I look forward to your continued support of upcoming AWA activities and events.

GROUP BREEDPLAN ANALYSIS As many of you are aware, the AWA have been proactive in promoting the use of genetic tools to aid in selection of the Wagyu breed in Australia. Over the past 6 months a sizable amount of pedigree and performance data has been recorded and I am pleased to report that a GROUP BREEDPLAN (GBP) Analysis will be conducted with anticipated results available before this year AGM / Conference in late September.

Also included will be a suite of Economic Indices derived from the GBP analysis that have been developed specifically to target to known endpoints in the Wagyu beef chain. It is envisaged that the use of such information will put necessary pressure on individual animal selection and lift the overall genetic gain across all traits in the breed. The results will be discussed in further detail at the Conference in September. Please contact me if you have any queries. www.wagyu.org.au

WAGYU BREED CERTIFICATION SCHEME Over the last six months the Board has been developing the framework of the Wagyu Breed Certification Scheme which was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Membership in 2008. The rationale of this scheme is about protecting the integrity of the Wagyu breed in Australia by certifying/endorsing Wagyu content.

The AWA scheme is not about describing the branding or meat marbling grades or expected eating quality as this will be done through the adoption and auditing process of an MSA pathway program. For such a project to have the impact that is expected then this stage of developing and implementing the framework is crucial that we get right. Therefore it is planned that by the 2009 AGM we will be able to provide a progress report with a timeline of it’s role out. We believe that the adoption of such a scheme by key players will ultimately drive a positive message out to the Industry which people cannot afford to ignore!

coming months a trial whereby we are looking at correlation between ultrasound scan and carcase for the purpose of providing greater estimation for Marbling (IMF%), EMA, RIB and RUMP FAT and YIELD in the EBV calculation. This trial will require several live animal scans using the latest CUP software from Iowa State University prior to slaughter and, then at slaughter MSA grading at the 5/6 and 12/13 plus hi res carcase image analysis using the latest Japanese technology from Obihiro University which has a resolution 4X higher than a VIA SCANNER. This trial is the first of several the AWA have planned which will hopefully provide data that will lead to improvements in the estimation of BREEDPLAN EBVs.

The AWA Board recently gave approval for ABRI to implement a mating predictor function which will compliment the existing web-based search facility. This function will enable members to select nominated sire/ dam mating combinations and produce “phantom progeny” with an Inbreeding Coefficient. To access the Mating Predictor, please go to the Association website www.wagyu.org.au and select Database Search from the top menu.

Once the GBP results are published then mid parent EBV information on the same phantom progeny will also appear on the proviso that both parents were analysed and reported in the GBP analysis.

HEREDITARY DISEASES The AWA Board are committed to genetic improvement which means it is important to identify and manage both the strength’s and weakness’s of the Japanese Black and Brown cattle. A potential weakness is the presence of hereditary or recessive disorders which can have dire results if the joining of carrier parents occurs. The AWA are committed to educate members about the impact of these disorders and how to manage the potential risk. AWA are in the process of testing known disorders and when the testing becomes commercially available, the membership will be informed.

To explain further this important issue, we have invited Prof. Tetsuo Kunieda (Okayama University) to attend this year’s conference. Prof. Tetsuo Kunieda is a leading researcher in hereditary diseases and genomic studies and is Chair of the Japanese Society of Animal Breeding and Genetics and, we are honoured by his acceptance.

SCAN to CARCASE TRIAL AWA will be conducting in the

Michael Beattie

WEB BASED MATING PREDICTOR (with Inbreeding Coefficients)

I hope that you enjoy this edition.

15

market news

Bedrock’s strong consumer response Access to a variety of top quality Wagyu beef has provided a valuable extension to an already impressive beef product range for a successful large-scale South East Qld wholesale/retail meat business.

Kris Masterson and his family operate Bedrock Gourmet Meat Company based at Loganholme and Yatala in the booming corridor between Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

While the largest part of their business concentrates on wholesaling meat to the upper end of the restaurant and food service industry from the Yatala premises, there is also an impressive largescale retail butchery outlet at nearby Loganholme.

Part of the large self-serve selection of Wagyu vacuumpacked primals on offer in the Bedrock shop, including Stanbroke Diamantina Wagyu and Pure Blue. page 18 Bedrock’s Kris Masterson with a tray of sliced Kobe 708 marbling score 7-8 Wagyu in front of his business’s retail outlet display. above

16

The food service side of the business handles major accounts including Brisbane’s massive Convention Centre and Parliament House, through to large hotel groups on the Gold and Sunshine Coasts such as the Marriott and Hyatt chains. At the other end of the scale, the client list includes hundreds of smaller-scale restaurants and bistros. In the Loganholme retail outlet, Bedrock offers an incredible range of product, to suit a wide customer demographic.

“We stock a selection of more than ten rib fillets, for example, ranging in price from $50/kg for top end Wagyu down to $7/kg,” Kris said.

“Customers today love to have a choice. Gone are the

days where a rib fillet was just another rib fillet.”

Kris said the business started adding Wagyu to its product range three and a half years ago, partly due to growing customer inquiry.

“Originally we could only get it from one supplier, but both the product quality and the access to it was fairly inconsistent,” he said.

more and more customers now recognise.”

Kris said the Wagyu side of the business had grown from nothing to between 15 and 20 percent of the turnover – a considerable amount of beef, in the context of the business’s overall size.

In the retail shop, there is a distinct difference in pricepoint between the Wagyu

Unlike some Australian retailers who have found the more extreme high marbling scores are not necessary for the Australian domestic market’s taste, Bedrock is happy to stock 7-8 score Wagyu sliced product, and even higher.

“Today there is a much wider range of suppliers we can source from, and much of the inconsistency issues have been ironed-out. For a while we were seeing some irregularity in marbling score, but that has also improved a lot,” he said.

Customers are now flocking after Wagyu beef through the business.

“The product carries not only unbelievable tenderness, but also that characteristic juiciness and flavour, which

offering – particularly the more heavily marbled material – and the conventional beef ranging from MSA yearling through to longfed Black Angus.

“Once customers have tried some Wagyu, they are happy to pay that premium for a product that eats so well – not every day, necessarily, but when the occasion demands,” Kris said.

He said much of the past three years had been about trying to educate Bedrock’s

Continued page 18

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

www.wagyu.org.au

17

market news

finding a place in the wholesale and portioning side of the Bedrock business – particularly in the upper end of the trade which constitutes more than 90 percent of the overall company turnover. Asked whether Bedrock’s portion control business (slicing and preparing whole primals into meal serve

sizes, within accurate weight and thickness tolerances – mostly for restaurants and hotels) tended to reduce average serve size when cutting Wagyu because it was so rich, Kris said that tended to apply only with the higher marbled product – the balance was cut to conventional dimensions. n

lessons in japan visit Bedrock co-proprietor Kris Masterson recently visited Japan on holiday, and was intrigued to see how Japanese butchers approached the business of breaking down a body of beef and presenting the material in retail form.

from page 16 - Bedrock’s strong consumer response

customers about the qualities of Wagyu, because it is so different from conventional beef. The retail site stocks a wide variety of brands, both in sliced cuts in the chilled cabinet, and whole primal vacuum-packed beef.

On the day of Wagyu Update’s visit to the site, within the Wagyu category alone, there were examples of Stanbroke Wagyu, Pure Blue, Cabassi & Rea and AA Co’s Kobe Cuisine.

Jack’s Creek and Security Foods are also regularly used brands. In addition to sliced and whole primal muscle meat, there is an extensive range of value-added products like Wagyu burgers, corned silverside, mince and kebabs.

Unlike some Australian retailers who have found the more extreme high marbling scores are not necessary for the Australian domestic market’s taste, Bedrock is happy to stock 7-8 score Wagyu sliced product, and even higher.

18

“If we are going to display a tray of Wagyu striploin next to a tray of quality yearling striploin, it needs to have that distinctly different appearance for contrast. So in some cases we are happy to chase the higher scores,” Kris said.

Bedrock has also established a system where it contacts a group of ‘known Wagyu-loving customers’ by phone or email when access is available to some extreme score 9+ product.

“It can be very hard to source at times on the domestic market, but if we can get a couple of boxes of score 10 or 12 rib fillets, for example, we will send out the word and sell them as whole primals, in no-time. Many of those customers say they do not care what the price is – ‘just keep me some’, they ask.”

“We find it is better to handle that extreme high marbling (and high value) product in that way, rather than to slice it and put in on a tray in the window and try to sell it in dribs and drabs.”

Increasingly, Wagyu is also

“We saw lots of evidence of slicing cuts paper-thin, to suit a whole range of traditional Japanese cooking styles,” he said.

“There was a great deal of effort put into cuts preparation, and it was just such a contrast to what we do in Australia, with much bigger, thicker portion sizes. Sixty percent of my customers ask for a steak to be cut an inch thick or more, but you rarely see that on display in Tokyo.”

Kris thought there could be an opportunity to develop some Japanese style prepared lines of Wagyu beef for sale through the Bedrock business.

“There are lots of small Japanese and Asian restaurants, and even Japanese retail customers living on the Gold Coast and Brisbane, who we could target for those types of specialised products. We already do a lot of wholesale work in whole primal meat with Japanese restaurants, so it would be an extension of that work,” he said.

“I bought a 40 gram Wagyu cocktail kebab while I was in Japan – it cost me 900 Yen (about $9 Australian),

so unfortunately I did not get to eat a lot of the local product while I was there,” he joked.

If there was an area for the Australian Wagyu industry to consider in terms of improvement, Kris thought it was in brand programs providing more point-of-sale material to better promote Wagyu and provide information for the customer, and in improving packaging and description for whole primals.

“Making the product look more appealing in the cryovac bag, and using easyto-understand references to marbling content (like those used by Cabassi & Rea and Pure Blue) would help the consumer in the selection process,” he said.

“Cryovac vacuum packaging does not look good at the best of times.

Why not move away from clear bags to different coloured opaque bags, attractively labelled for each of the marbling groups?” he suggested.

Readers can check out the Bedrock website which features a strong Wagyu presence at www.bedrockmeat.com.au n

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

market news

WA’s ‘Wine-Fed’ Wagyu Makes its mark Even in tough economic times, Wagyu still features on the menus of many of the best restaurants around Australia and the world.

Western Australia’s Margaret River Premium Meat Exports (MRPME) has been producing Wagyu beef since 2003 and although its sales declined when the world economic downturn hit, the company remains confident about the industry’s future.

Established by John McLeod and Jack Semini, MRPME was created with the idea of taking premium meat products from Western Australia’s Southwest region and marketing them to the world.

When the business first began operations it specialised in exotic meats, producing predominately venison, ostrich and lamb.

to account for some of the unknowns which often occur in a globalised marketplace.

“The product list has changed since we first began and five years from now the list could well shift again. We’ll remain flexible and keep listening to what the customer wants.”

MRPME produces both a grainfed Wagyu and a unique ‘Wine-Fed’ Wagyu product.

This involves specificallychosen cattle being fed one litre of wine per day, blended

with a special ration also containing some anti-oxidant rich skins and seed derivatives (grapemark) from the winemaking process, for 60 days before processing.

The Wine-Fed program was launched in 2006 after one of MRPME’s top customers, a Japanese celebrity chef, visited the famous Margaret River region and wanted to incorporate the local wine Continued page 20

MRPME aims to supply the upper end of the food service sector (restaurants and hotels) worldwide and now concentrates on Wagyu beef, grainfed beef and some venison and ostrich, supplying to 17 countries. Most of its product is exported into the Asian region. According to John McLeod, the business was created using a risk-averse model, based on seeking a geographically diverse client base and broad product range.

“That business model allows us to increase and decrease any one particular product as market circumstances change,” he said.

“We’re constantly looking at different scenarios and exploring different options, but the business is structured www.wagyu.org.au

19

market news

from page 19 - WA’s wine-fed wagyu makes its mark.

with the locally produced Wagyu beef. The result, the company suggests, is a beef which has a sweeter flavour with improved shelflife and meat colour (feedlot nutritionists say this is possibly explained by the anti-oxidant effect of red wine grapemark, and the ability of some feed ingredients containing tannins to lock-up excess iron).

The program gained widespread Australian international media attention during the period after its launch, due in part to its unique nature.

MRPME now uses a network of feedlots in both western and eastern Australia to grow and feed its mostly F1 to F3 Wagyu cattle to strict guidelines, helping ensure that the quality status of its product is maintained.

After experiencing four years

of strong demand for their products, Mr McLeod said sales began to decrease last November in response to the global economic downturn.

“We went from being in New York in August last year signing up top restaurants, to all of a sudden seeing sales drying up,” he said.

....We’ll remain flexible and keep listening to what the customer wants “Now I think the initial shock of the world economic crisis has sunk in and people are just getting back to normal patterns again. There is still a way to go until we get fully back to normal, but a good point from this has been that all of our customers, except one have returned - it’s just that their orders are less than they were earlier.”

from page 10 - Calf harvest under way

Traction should be applied to each fore leg, one after the other to walk the shoulders through the pelvis.

You will know when you have pulled one leg sufficiently when the fetlock is about one hands breadth beyond the vulva. If you can pull the second shoulder through then you should be able to deliver the calf. It is very important to walk the shoulders through the pelvis in this manner. If you begin by pulling both legs simultaneously you will unnecessarily risk injuring the calf or the heifer. Once both fetlocks have been advanced a hands breadth beyond the vulva, simultaneous pulling can commence. If it is shaping up as a hard pull, once you have pulled the calf’s head through the vulva you should begin rotating the calf. The widest portion of the calf’s body is across his hips.

The widest aperture of a cow’s pelvic canal is on the diagonal. If you roll the

20

He now expects business to slowly return to the levels seen up to last year. Mr McLeod said despite the drop in Wagyu beef sales, the company’s wine-fed Wagyu program had continued at a steady pace, which he believed was a reflection of the niche market nature of the product. He said Wagyu would

always need to sell for a premium price, as there were considerable costs involved with its production.

“We’re grain feeding for 400 days plus, so there is a long production time involved, making it expensive to produce.”

Even though he expects the value of some Wagyu cuts to decrease over time, he said that would be offset by the

calf’s body 90 degrees, typically the calf’s pelvis will roll the appropriate 45 degrees to facilitate delivery. It is the calf’s pelvis which is responsible for the majority of calving paralysis cases, by rolling the calf you can minimize this risk. There isn’t sufficient space here to cover all of the different postures calves can present with, but producers should feel free to ring their local veterinarian for advice in correcting difficult presentations, for general calving advice, or for assistance.

You should seek professional assistance if you have not made any progress yourself for over half an hour, or sooner if you recognize that you are in over your head. If you have intervened early enough and haven’t overstressed the calf or heifer, the calf can survive for four to six hours until help can arrive.

You’ve worked all year to get your cows to this point, now get out there and get your calf harvest into the bin! n

increase in quality of the cattle being produced by MRPME. As production and feeding methods had improved, the business was now producing a higher grade product more consistently.

“Over the last four or five years we’ve seen the cattle that we process increase in marbling score which means it also commands a higher price,” he said.

The recognition of Wagyu was now more widespread, but longer-term, MRPME hoped to see the product become more widely available on a domestic supermarket retail level.

“We can see the business growing significantly and the product becoming available in a retail scenario,” Mr McLeod said.

“One of the points that sets Wagyu apart from other beef products is that it sells itself.

Once people taste the product they’re generally sold on it.” n

Key Points: n

Stage one should not last longer than 8 hours. If a cow continues to wander about on her own, put her in the crush and have a look.

n

Stage two should not take longer than 2 hours total and the heifer should make progress every half hour. If not, put her in the crush and have a look.

n

If you are not making progress or feel that you are over your head, seek professional advice or intervention.

n

Don’t be afraid to intervene! If in doubt, put her in the crush and have a look!

n

Parting tip feeding heifers hay once daily, just before sunset, started a couple of weeks before and throughout the calving season will stimulate most of the calves to be born during the daylight hours.

Try it!

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

vogue 2009 awards success

Below Left to right: David and Julie Blackmore, Scott De Bruin, Vicki and Nick Sher at the 2009 Vogue Entertaining and Travel Produce Awards. right High quality Wagyu beef like this earned Sher Wagyu a medal in the 2009 Vogue Awards.

Wagyu prominent in Vogue Awards Leading Australian Wagyu beef brands have again figured prominently in Vogue Entertaining and Travel magazine’s 2009 Produce Awards, announced recently.

A field of top judges including celebrity chefs Adelaide’s Chong Lieu, Sydney’s Matt Moran and Brisbane’s Philip Johnson, decided this year’s winners and medallists. The annual awards are divided into four key categories: n

From the earth,

n

From the dairy,

n

From the paddock (various forms of red

n

From the Sea.

and white meat protein), and Medallists in the ‘From the Paddock’ category this year included former 2007 overall winner, Blackmore Wagyu, produced by David Blackmore out of Victoria. Blackmores’ is one of Australia’s only dedicated Japanese fullblood Wagyu producers, aiming for elite-level highly marbled product. Blackmore’s collected a second award in the Consistently Excellent Product category.

Other Wagyu industry stakeholders to be

www.wagyu.org.au

acknowledged with a divisional medal included: n

Mayura Station from Millicent, South

Australia (De Bruin family), which was acknowledged for the third consecutive year with their fullblood Wagyu product. n

Sher Wagyu from Victoria (Nick Sher,

BeefCorp) fed at the ICM feedlot at Peechelba. Beefcorp is one of Australia’s older Wagyu producers, with the first calf hitting the ground in 1992. Sher Wagyu is primarily from Wagyu x Holstein breeding but also includes higher percentage and fullblood Wagyu. The beef is packaged into three labels based on marbling score and meat quality.

The overall winner of the 2009 Vogue Entertainment and Travel Produce Awards was artisan goat’s milk cheese and dairy product producer, Holy Goat, based in La Luna, Victoria. n

21

finance

Mason Williams and Annie Douglas help out at the Commonwealth Bank Agribusiness stand at Beef Week 2009 held in Rockhamrton, QLD. story by Nicole Szollos Commonwealth Bank right

interest remains high for Wagyu beef Australian consumers are continuing to embrace Wagyu beef, while interest in the breed among the country’s primary producers also remains high.

The popularity of the Wagyu beef industry was evident at the recent Beef Australia 2009 Expo which took place in Rockhampton, Queensland in May. Occurring every three years, the Expo is a highly informative and celebrated event for Australian cattle producers and a key date in the rural calendar.

At this year’s event some 65,000 visitors participated in the weeklong program which included cattle competitions and sales, information sessions and consumer education activities, along with the all-important trade fair showcasing the full range of breeds in the beef cattle industry.

22

Prominently on display at the Beef Expo was Wagyu, with trade stalls showcasing the breed and educating both producers and consumers on the benefits of Wagyu cows and the unique high quality beef product. Overseas buyers were also in attendance at the Beef Australia 2009 Expo, reinforcing the continued interest in Australian beef including Wagyu from both the local and overseas markets, and the importance of Australia’s beef industry as an export commodity.

“The Commonwealth Bank Agribusiness team has an in-depth knowledge of the beef cattle and finance industries, and is dedicated to providing ongoing support to Australia’s primary producers,” said Richard Brimblecombe, State Manager Queensland, Commonwealth Bank Agribusiness.

“In Queensland, Australia’s prime cattle country, our local team of beef specialists have a deep understanding of the needs

and challenges facing the beef industry.

The team has longstanding experience in agribusiness banking and solid ties to the land, and understands the variable seasonal conditions and the need for flexibility in order to meet the specific financial needs of the grazier community,” he added. n

how to contact the Commonwealth Bank’s agribusiness centre Wagyu producers looking for further information on financial management can also contact AgriLine, the Commonwealth Bank’s dedicated telephone-based agribusiness centre, on 1300 245 463 (1300 AGLINE) from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday.

australian wagyu Update I AUGUST 2009

www.wagyu.org.au

23