BEST FOOT FORWARD F1 BREEDING AND PRODUCTION

Australian Wagyu Association members have embraced the recently released F1 Bull Buying Guidelines; the first publicly available guideline designed to help people getting into F1 breeding and production.

With many dipping their toe in breeding F1 cattle for the first time, the Australian Wagyu Association aims to bridge a knowledge gap voiced by members to help them buy fullblood Wagyu bulls suitable for F1 Wagyu production.

The Australian Wagyu Association welcomes more than 300 new members every year to the rapidly growing luxury beef sector, and education is essential for these new producers.

The standard for F1 Wagyu production is a registered fullblood Wagyu bull with high marble score estimated breeding values over high quality (high IMF%) Angus Females. Selecting bulls with high marbling Estimated Breeding Values is crucial to selecting Fullblood Wagyu sires for F1 production, and selecting registered fullblood sires in the top 30 percent for marble score is recommended.

The guidelines relate to selection of Fullblood Wagyu sires for use over high quality Angus Female genetics. An F1 Index is also included, ranking animals based on the profitability of their progeny. It allows producers to compare the relative profitability of a sire for carcase value of an F1 progeny.

Owner of Lillyvale Feedlot and Arubial Wagyu, Laird Morgan believes the guidelines provide a solid framework to enable people to make informed decisions from the beginning.

“People a little less familiar with breeding F1s may go and get a Wagyu bull that’s not high in marbling and is probably more of a Fullblood bull,“ he explains.

“In conjunction with the F1 Terminal Index, the guidelines help them make the selection more easily and get bulls that are purpose bred for the job they want them to do.”

While reducing the likelihood and extent of future oversupply of low marble score outcome F1 feeder production by new entrants is one of the guideline’s top priorities, Australian Wagyu Association CEO, Dr Matt McDonagh said it’s important all breeders establish the target market for their F1 cattle before starting the program.

“Typically in the Wagyu sector we have quite clear supply chains that have their own branded beef programs,” Dr McDonagh explains.

“Ideally before breeding F1 cattle you would want to be working with an identified offtake partner who will buy your F1s because it’s not common or typical for F1 cattle to be traded openly in the market.”

With the foundations around single trait selection for marble score and its primary importance to F1 production outlined, the Australian Wagyu Association is confident the guidelines will be a valuable addition to the Wagyu sector.

“We make it very clear that animals in the top 30 percent for marble score and the top 30 percent for the F1 Index are the target for F1 production,” Dr McDonagh says.

The Australian Wagyu Association is proud to present the F1 Bull Buying Guidelines in a user-friendly format for its members.

When used in conjunction with advice suitable for each individual situation the F1 Bull Buying Guidelines provide a strong base.

Peter Bishop from Cowra, New South Wales, is the owner of Bishop Wagyu where he has been producing Wagyu X Angus F1 and Fullblood Wagyu cattle for the Australian feedlot sector since 1998.

“The guidelines are set out to take into account what the market specifications are, and they should be modified to suit,” Mr Bishop says.

“They’re an excellent tool to be used with other advice that buyers should obtain as well.”

As a vendor of commercial bulls, Mr Bishop is particularly passionate about preserving their longevity. Late maturing, they can

continue to grow and develop until five years of age, and Mr Bishop is a firm believer in reaping what you sow.

“To increase their working life you need to nurture them after each joining and that means getting them back on feed and making sure they’re putting on weight again. Don’t just turn them out to the bull paddock and leave them,” he says.

“They need looking after, especially while they’re young and growing, and if you do that you will get 13 years working life out of these animals, and that’s certainly what I’ve seen over the last 25 years.”

The Australian Wagyu Association is proud to present the F1 Bull Buying Guidelines in a user-friendly format for its members. It's committed to working with members to help them utilise the guidelines, and continue conversations with the industry about the types of animals that are going to meet their market needs for F1 production.