Wagyu World - September/October 2016

September/October 2016

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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this issue September/October 2016 Volume 2, Number 6

10 Ranch reach

Lone Mountain Cattle Company

Meet Robert Estrin and his crew that has made the Lone Mountain Wagyu program a huge success. >> By Heather Smith-Thomas

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10 16 Market Matters Indiana’s Joseph Decuis

Billed as a “farm to fork” destination, this family venue encompasses restaurant, farm, emporium and bed and breakfast accommodations. >> By Kindra Gordon

24 24 LIVING PRIME Vintage Swag

Hot new handbags and accessories that any girl would love to get their hands on!

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

27 OUT & ABOUT

Imperial Wagyu Beef ‘s Behind the Scenes Event, the Grandeur sale report and the 2016 AWA Convention Recap. >> By Jeri Tulley

27 34

34 in the news Meet George Owen

An exclusive interview with the new American Wagyu Association Executive Director. >> By Jeri Tulley

36 MARKET MATTERS Imperial Wagyu Beef

An in depth look at this program and how everyone involved has only helped Wagyu breeders and promote the Wagyu product. >> By Heather Smith-Thomas

6 EDITOR’S LETTER 7 Publisher’s Post 8 Contributors 40 INDEX

36

COVER>>

Title: An Early Frosty Morning By: Kyle Miron Location: Joseph Decuis, Indiana Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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Editor’s Letter | WW

F

September/October 2016

Nine Months

irst and foremost I would like to commend all women out there who are mothers. I am now 9 months pregnant and to be honest, I haven’t enjoyed one day of it. I am looking forward to having a child but the process to get to that point is very demanding. I’m a go getter and usually never stop moving forward. Pregnancy hasn’t stopped this normalcy but it has challenged it at times especially out at the barns and in the corrals. Our feedlot sits on a hill and if you want to feel huge; be 9 months pregnant “trying” to run a group of bulls out of the pen when the out gate is at the top of the hill. I’ve always been light on my feet and pretty quick but this new me makes me feel like a sloth. I’ve now been banned from the sweep of the chute system and my new place working cattle is the head gate which at times I’m struggling with. Also, my office is on the third floor of a reclaimed water tower; to say the least there’s a lot of stairs. I’m definitely not bounding up and down them at the moment and I even feel completely out of breath once I reach the top. All I can say is that I look forward to when I’ve got the baby in a stroller and can take him out for walks and runs, feel light on my feet again and hopefully back to my normal self.

It was a pleasure seeing so many of you at the American Wagyu Convention in September. Coeur d’ Alene is an absolutely breathtaking spot and wonderful town to host the convention. If you were unable to attend, we have a full recap in this issue. After reading it, you will feel like you were there. Also in this issue we visit with a well known breeder in our “Ranch Reach” piece. Many of you have heard of the Lone Mountain Cattle Company Wagyu program but we get an in depth look into this program, whose behind it and what makes them so successful. Another successful Wagyu venture comes to us from the great state of Indiana and we learn more about the Joseph Decuis experience in one of the “Market Matters” articles. The other “Market Matters” piece featured this issue examines yet another great company, Imperial Wagyu Beef. The insight into this program allows us to see how they work with Wagyu producers to not only support the breed but to highlight the Wagyu product to the general consumer.

As always we have our “Out & About” and within this issue it includes highlights from the Imperial Wagyu Beef Behind the Scenes, the Grandeur Sale results, and convention candids. This issue’s “Living Prime” highlights a very exciting product find; ladies beware, you are going to want to include one of these handbags into your collection. Vintage Swag out of Florida recreates a classic and these handbags are to die for. From handbags to business, “In the News” features all upcoming Wagyu events an interview with the new American Wagyu Association Executive Director, George Owen.

Our next issue will be celebrating the Wagyu World Magazine 2nd Anniversary. Thank you to all of you who have been such a support. We at JDA appreciate the Wagyu breed, its product and most importantly, the people behind it all.

Next time I check in with you all I will officially be a mother. Thank you to all of you for your kind words and advice these last 9 months. I’ll be needing more in the future so keep the words of wisdom coming my way!

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

Publisher’s Post | WW

After visiting Coeur d’ Alene and being lakeside at the convention, I have already decided to go back with the entire family. It is a great place! This year’s convention was a bit quieter than normal but nonetheless a pleasure to attend. Seeing so many familiar faces is always what makes it an enjoyable time. The amount of support which we received for our event, the Grandeur Sale, was incredible and I want to thank you all for coming and thank those who consigned the impressive packages that made the sale.

The room was completely packed and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves immensely.

Also, thank you to Jerry Reeves for assisting Mercedes on the block; you two are great together. I am already looking forward to our next event in Denver and can’t wait to see so many of you once again. In the meantime, have a fun filled Halloween.

Sherry Danekas - Publisher

Publisher: Sherry Danekas sherry@jdaonline.com Editor: Mercedes Danekas-Lohse wagyuworld@yahoo.com Advertising: mercedes@jdaonline.com • (916) 837-1432 Circulation/Subscriptions: Morgan Fryer P: (530) 668-1224 OR (530) 668-1226 W: www.buywagyu.net M: P.O. Box 8629 Woodland, CA 95776

morgan@jdaonline.com • (530) 668-1224 Design Department: Hannah Ballard hannah@jdaonline.com • (530) 668-1224

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 | September/October 2016

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Contributors | WW

Discovery This Issue’s Three Contributors Share Themselves With Us. Kindra Gordon

Jeri Tulley

Heather Smith-Thomas

Rancher / Writer

Writer

Rancher / Writer

If I could dress in any costume for Halloween, it would be... I like theme costumes for the whole family and some year I’d like my four kids and I to dress as a royal flush in diamonds: ace, king, queen, jack and ten. I’d be the queen!

Growing up, the most embarrassing Halloween costume that I wore was...

In college I dressed in one of those orange garbage bags and stuffed it with newspapers to be a pumpkin. It wasn’t embarrassing at the time, but thankfully there was no Facebook to document it and keep that photo from haunting me.

Pumpkin pie, yes or no and why?...

Yes, with a dollop of whip cream. Who would ever say no to pie?

If I could dress in any costume for Halloween, it would be... the Pioneer Woman. While I was dressed up I would be hoping that her cooking and photography skills were being magically conferred upon me.

Growing up, the most embarrassing Halloween costume that I wore was... an old granny outfit complete with a shawl. My way cooler costume was literally way cooler, and, as a cold front had just blown in, I chose to be warm and embarrassed rather than stylish and freezing.

Pumpkin pie, yes or no and why?...

My mom makes a delicious, completely-from-scratch, awardwinning pecan pie. Who needs pumpkin?

If I could dress in any costume for Halloween, it would be... a cowboy.

Growing up, the most embarrassing Halloween costume that I wore was... just the same old one every year—a hand-me-down witch costume that my aunt made for my cousin (but it really wasn’t embarrassing because it was actually a pretty good witch costume).

Pumpkin pie, yes or no and why?...

Yes –because it’s always really good with LOTS of ice cream or whipped cream on it.

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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By Heather Smith-Thomas

L

one Mountain Ranch near Golden, New Mexico is owned by Bob and Mary Estrin and their children. It was purchased in 1965 by Mary’s parents, Glen and Marion Lloyd.

Glen ran it as a commercial cow-calf operation for 10 years, until he passed away. Mary’s mother took over the running and managing of the ranch for 20 years. “She taught me the ins and outs of managing a cattle ranch while I was still working in my first career—as a film editor and producer in Hollywood, which I was did for 25 years,” says Bob Estrin.

Then he became a professor at USC at the School of Cinema--and taught there for 8 years. “At first the ranch was just a part-time thing for me; I hung around when I was in New Mex10

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

ico, and watched what Marion did in her caretaking role of Lone Mountain.

She shared all the information with me.

I learned about the cattle business that way,” says Estrin.

“When I took over the actual running of the ranch in 1995, I was content to keep doing what we had always done—running the commercial herd of Red Angus, Black Angus, Brangus, Charolais, Simmental and other mixedbreed cows. It was pretty easy (and very different from running a registered herd) because we basically just split the herd in half and sent a bunch of bulls with each group. Then I started looking at the numbers. It was unnerving, because the expenses kept going up and the income kept going down,” he says.

A multi-year drought created great-

er challenges. “We kept selling off more of the herd because there was no feed. We got down to about 65 head and I didn’t know what to do because the expenses just kept going up. Then, in 2004 my wife, Mary, and I had Wagyu Carpaccio at a local restaurant. I asked the waiter what that breed of cattle was. He told me it was Wagyu and I asked what that was. He didn’t know, so I asked where he got it. He didn’t know so we asked the chef. He didn’t know either, just that it came on a distributor’s truck, but he thought it came from the Northwest,” says Estrin.

“It was really good, but very expensive, and I didn’t think too much more about it. Then about 6 months later I went to a restaurant with my daughter, Zoe, and ate Wagyu sashimi. It was $16

Ranch Reach | WW

an ounce and I suddenly thought, ‘This is it! This is what we need to do!’ It tasted so good and was so expensive, I thought we could make some money raising this kind of meat. So I started doing some research,” he says.

BEGINNING A WAGYU OPERATION Estrin found a couple of Wagyu bulls for sale in Washington State owned

by Jerry Reeves and Gerry Pittenger.

“We purchased those bulls, and I called my ranch manager, Stanley Hartman. I told him not to buy any more bulls, and to sell all the bulls we had, because we were going to start raising Wagyu,” recalls Estrin.

“Stan thought I was crazier than a loon! He was just getting ready to go to a neighbor who had some Charolais bulls for sale, but I told him not to buy those. We put the 2 Wagyu bulls with our 65 cows and then sent the resulting

calves as yearlings to a feed yard. From that first crop of F1s, 95% of them graded Prime at harvest. I had already made up my mind to begin a 100% fullblood Wagyu herd at that point – I was rapidly falling in love with them – and when we harvested that first group, I knew I was making the right choice,” he says.

“I went back to Jerry and Gerry and bought 9 cows. We had our first fullblood calf in 2005. We started flushing the cows and were soon on our way.

The famous bull Yojimbo was euthanized in April 2016, due to cancer. “He was sold in our first production sale (2008) for $35,000 and was the sale topper. He was purchased by Vick Castellon, Monarch Farms, in Louisiana and was a very special bull. He was born August 13, 2006 and was nearly10 years old when he had to be put down, so he had a long life of service. There are, at last count, 184 of his progeny registered with the American Wagyu Association. We still have his dam here at Lone Mountain, and she is now more than 16 years old. She has produced 19 calves and is a wonderful cow. We are still flushing her and she is still producing, though she is starting to show some age.” The Wagyu are long-lived and have marvelous fertility.

LONGEVITY

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PASSIONATE ABOUT WAGYU

Estrin loves being on the ranch whenever he can find time. “On a good year I get to spend about 6 months on the ranch, and on years when it’s more challenging to get out there I spend about 3 months on the ranch. I spent almost 3 months there this summer, and I love my time there. I get up at 5 and go down and meet the guys at 7 and then make rounds with Stan. We drive all over the ranch looking at cattle and feeding them, checking water sources and in the winter, breaking ice (Stan does that while I wait in the warm truck). We talk endlessly about the cattle and the ranch. I throw out ideas and he throws them back with his particular spin. I feel productive and alive. It is one of my life’s highlights, making the rounds.

It’s a long way from what I did as a film professional for 25 years. It is just so different and I love it.” The ranch and cattle became the next phase in his life and his passion.

Beattie says Bob is a great teacher. “He wants everyone to be a winner and is willing to help people, and educate those around him about the breed, and assist wherever he can and there are very few people like that. Bob stands behind what he believes in and has a great willingness to help other people. He is a very humble and compassionate person,” says Beattie.

Lone Mountain is a unique operation. “The wonderful Estrin family are all in it for the long haul. They have a very strong brand, and believe in doing right by all. There is so much history and romance about the Lone Mountain, and the Estrin’s want to share a piece of their world with those around them. I feel deeply honored to be given this opportunity to be a part of it,” says Beattie.

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

In 2007 I decided to go to the Denver Stock Show and show off our cattle.

We had them in Herd Sire Alley on the northern part of the showgrounds where the show calves and bulls are on display. We had a little stand, and I convinced Ralph Valdez to come with me and bring his bull. I brought a bull and a calf, and bought some frozen Japanese A5 steaks to take with us to show to people,” says Estrin.

“It was so cold that year! I had planned to use 2 steaks each day, to show people what they were like. It was so cold that the two we were showing the first day never thawed out. We didn’t have to take any more out of the freezer! We were standing out there in the cold and the wind, with all the people wandering by, looking at our steaks and saying, ‘Man! That fat will kill you!’ Many people wondered what it was. They’d never seen Wagyu before,” he says.

“Stan and I and Ralph stood out there and showed people the beef, and people snickered as they went by. Very little curiosity. At the end of the show, a guy who had been showing his Hereford cattle a couple stalls away came up to us and asked how it was going. I said, ‘People have been laughing a lot.’

He told us to not to give up. He said, ‘I remember just a few years back when someone brought Lowline cattle and people laughed at them. But they kept coming back, and after about 3 years they had a sale and had a really great sale, the highest-selling animals in Denver that year. Don’t give up!’

“So I went back the following year.

And the year after that. It seemed to get better each year, with people becoming used to seeing us and our Wagyu,” says Estrin.

SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT WAGYU In 2008 Lone Mountain had their first production sale. “As far as I knew there hadn’t been any private production sales of Wagyu that had very many animals for sale, so we didn’t know what to expect. I thought, why not? I got Jim Danekas to run the sale, and Butch Booker to be the auctioneer, and they did a bang-up job and it turned out great,” Estrin says.

Lone Mountain hosted a reception at a hotel in Albuquerque the night before the sale. “A lot of cowboys showed up with their trailers. The night of the reception I heard mutterings from Wagyu producers about things that were happening in the bathrooms. As it turned out, there was a transvestite convention in the same hotel and they were changing in the men’s room!” The cowboys were quite wide-eyed about that!

The sale went very well, however, and surprised a lot of people. “We did a lot of advertising and promotion about Wagyu—because most people hadn’t heard about this breed. They knew about Kobe beef, but didn’t have a clue about Wagyu. We were determined to educate the public and took it upon ourselves to provide information,” says Estrin.

Lone Mountain had another sale in 2009 and in 2010. “About two months before the 2010 sale, the uncovering of

genetic defects in Wagyu cattle took place, and everyone got quite worked up about that. We had all of our sale animals tested, and ended up having to scratch about a third of our sale lots.

We went ahead with the sale and made it through—but not without a lot of discomfort,” he recalls.

In 2011 he was elected president of the Wagyu Association after being on the board for 2 years. “We had another big sale in 2014, selling 100 females.

The average on them was $11,100. We had a million dollar sale, and I believe that was the first time (outside of Japan) this had ever happened. We had a lot of calls from Australia and made the front page of Australian newspapers, so it was a pretty big deal,” he says.

Lone Mountain is now getting ready for their next sale, in May 2017, and will have 75 to 100 females to sell and a few outstanding herd sire prospects. “We will continue to have sales, probably an annual Fullblood Wagyu Female Production Sale.”

TEAM EFFORT Estrin now has good help to share the load. Though he continues to manage the research and genetics (Lone Mountain Cattle Company), he now has Griff Foxley as the COO of Lone Mountain Wagyu, which is the meat branch of the company. “He purchases the cattle from Lone Mountain Cattle Company, puts them in the feed yard and oversees feeding and harvest. We are now harvesting about 12 to 16 animals every 6 weeks. Our goal is to get to about 20 per month. It’s hard, however, when

we sell 100 cows in a production sale.

They are the breeding factory, they are the ones who give us those marvelous calves, so we are giving up 100 babies a year, plus the momma cow. It takes a lot of juggling numbers, and making sure we can maintain the very best Wagyu genetics,” says Estrin.

Foxley manages the production and marketing of the beef. “We are one of the largest producers of 100% Fullblood Wagyu beef in this country,” says Foxley. “We do not crossbreed. It is our belief (and the quality of our product seems to prove it) that Fullblood genetics makes superior highly-marbled beef.

It is very consistent in quality. We are aiming to be the most highly marbled, most luxuriously delicious beef in the country. That’s our mission,” he says.

“Though we have a sizeable operation we are still a very small beef producer in the grand scheme of things, but the number we harvest is growing. This enables us to ensure quality and to supply about 30 to 40 remarkable restaurant partners with our product. We also have an online website (www.lonemountainwagyu.com ) where we sell individually packaged steaks in a nicely branded box to home consumers. These are shipped frozen to their doorstep,” Foxley says.

On this website customers can select what they want and add various items to their shopping cart. “All they have to do is click send, and those items are purchased and we ship them out for home delivery. This has been a very exciting and great growth opportunity for our beef sales, though it does take a lot a work. We’ve been doing Page 22>>

FANCY FOOD COMPETITION “We started attending the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco a couple years ago, which is a trade show for food professionals, hosted by the Specialty Food Association,” says Foxley.

There are usually about 2000 exhibitors with all kinds of specialty foods—everything from fancy popcorn and candies to tea. The first year Lone Mountain went, they were the only meat producer there.

“Thousands of specialty food vendors exhibit their brands and sample the products—such as small batch cheeses and specialty snacks,” says Foxley.

More than 30,000 industry professionals, restaurateurs and retail buyers visit this show each year.

“We invested in a fantastic booth and have exhibited twice—in 2015 and in January 2016. We felt this was an epic moment of ‘we’ve arrived; Wagyu has arrived’ when we started cooking our Wagyu ribeyes and sausages and gave out samples.

The lines of people waiting to taste our product were 40 persons deep for hours, for three days straight. The look on everyone’s faces when they tasted the product from this glorious breed was just fantastic to see,” he says.

“We entered our two sausage products and our jerky in the Specialty Food Associations SOFI awards, which is like the Oscars of specialty foods. Our jerky and the sausage links won second place, and our summer sausage won first place in its category, amongst thousands of entrants. This was a big signal to us that we are on to something and that Wagyu beef in general (and the particular way we are raising our Fullblood Wagyu) has a coveted place at the table in this country. The market for superior quality Wagyu beef is here, and people want it,” says Foxley.

The Fancy Food Show is where Lone Mountain introduced their new product line: Fullblood Wagyu jerky, Fullbood Wagyu sausages and Fullbood Wagyu summer sausages. “We entered those in the product-of-the year contest and were finalists in all three categories,” adds Estrin.

“About 45,000 people came through during the three-day event, so this was a wonderful experience for us.

We are growing and expanding, and enjoying the fruits of our labor,” says Estrin. The American public is learning about Wagyu.

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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Join us for these upcoming events: January 18, 2017 • Mile High Wagyu Experience Sale • Denver, CO May 7, 2017 • Northwest Breeders Female Sale • Madras, OR May 13, 2017 • California Angus Breeders Female Sale • Escalon, CA May 20, 2017 • Lone Mountain Cattle Co. Production Sale • Albuquerque, NM June 10, 2017 • Passion for Prime Wagyu Sale • Springfield MO

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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Market Matters | WW

Meet Indiana’s

Billed as a “farm to fork” destination, this family venue encompasses

I

t’s unlikely that a visit to Roanoke, Indiana would be on many people’s “bucket list” as a place to visit. It’s a town of about 1,700 people located a little over 100 miles northeast of Indianapolis (and about 30 minutes southwest of Fort 16

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

Wayne).

But “foodies” would tell you Roanoke is a place worth visiting – simply for the Joseph Decuis (pronounced dayQUEEZ) experience. The Joseph Decuis restaurant is Indiana’s most highly award-

ed restaurant, consistently earning the “Best of Award of Excellence” by Wine Spectator, AAA’s Four Diamond Award, and voted Indiana’s #1 Restaurant (and one of the Top 50 in the United States) by Open Table diners.

Joseph Decuis

By Kindra Gordon

restaurant, farm, emporium and bed and breakfast accommodations.

Wagyu breeders may also recognize that this is a restaurant where fine Wagyu beef is featured – and adored.

But the Joseph Decuis experience doesn’t end at the restaurant. That was just the beginning. The Eshelman family –

who opened the restaurant to the public in 2000 – have created an intriguing array of activities for Roanoke visitors to explore – there’s the Wagyu Farm which features tours and supplies the restaurant, special farm-to-fork dinners, shopping at the Em-

porium, and overnight accommodations at The Inn or at a bed and breakfast located on the farm.

In total, the Eshelman’s and their Joseph Decuis venues have put Roanoke on the map.

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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How It Came To Be Brother’s Pete and Tim Eshelman, along with Pete’s wife Alice, are the founders and owners of Joseph Decuis.

Pete and Alice met in 1979 in New York City, where Pete was working for the New York Yankees and Alice was an actress. A business opportunity brought the young couple to Indiana in 1986. In 1989, brother Tim left Boston to join Pete in starting a new sports and entertainment insurance business which grew to become an industry leader and is now part of a publicly held company.

Back then, the Eshelmans entertained many business clients on their farm. Alice tells in a blog post that they were “clients from around the world: reinsurers from London and Switzerland; insurance companies from L.A. and New York; owners, agents and reps from sports teams all around the country.” She says having them come to the house added a “personal touch” to the business dealings – but she also notes “with three small children it was a little dicey.”

She writes in her blog, “after a rousing rendition of a Spice Girls routine by our daughters (the guests were Brits) we decided perhaps it was time to become more professional.”

Thus, in 1993 they purchased a vacant bank building in Roanoke and in 1996 converted it into a private dining facility for the company corporate dining facility. Over the next few years, word spread about “great food in a bank” and, as a result, the Eshelman’s opened Joseph Decuis to the public in 2000.

The Joseph Decuis name was chosen in honor of their Louisiana ancestor whom inspired their belief in the power of the American Dream and the importance of 18

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

perpetuating the family’s long standing tradition of fine dining.

The Eshelman’s look to the influence of Joseph Decuis who lived in a time when his table was blessed with food from his farm, and dining was the stage for the bonding of family, friends and business associates. Their restaurant logo is an artful depiction of Decuis signature as it appeared on his Last Will and Testament in 1822.

In the spirit of those days when food traveled from the forest or farm, to the kitchen, to the plate and food was fresh, natural, healthy, seasonal and delicious, the Eshelman’s say they are dedicated to keeping the timeless tradition of great local food and fine dining alive.

To that end, they’ve focused on creating a “Farm to Fork” experience via their various venues. Guests can imbibe in world-class dining at the restaurant; participate in special events at the restaurant or on the farm, and enjoy overnight getaways at the Inn in Roanoke or the bed and breakfast on the farm.

Food & Wagyu As the Eshelman’s began their foray into the food business, they were fortunate to hire a chef who set the standard for fresh, good ingredients. Her mantra: the better the ingredient, the better the results.

Alice points out in another blog post, “Sounds like a ‘no-brainer,” but this was 1996 - before the farm to table and eat local movements started (at least in Indiana.)”

But Alice recalls the process of finding growers in addition to suppliers and having items trucked in. She also tells that while reviewing some of their bills that first year she noticed they were spending

75 cents per squash blossom plus shipping. She writes, “I thought, ‘Hey! I bet I could grow squash,’ and I did! From there our garden has expanded greatly.” Most recently, adding a hoop house.

Since the beginning they’ve also added livestock Mangalitsa pigs, heritage chickens and turkeys – and Wagyu beef.

As the story goes, early in their restaurant years, Wagyu was featured on their menu as “an experiment.” But it didn’t take long and they were “blown away by its tenderness and great taste.”

The trio wanted to learn more, and ultimately went to Japan to meet the legendary Japanese Wagyu farmer, Shogo Takeda. They acquired Takeda’s genetics, and under his tutelage learned how to raise Wagyu – even designing their farm facilities in the Japanese style. Their Wagyu are raised in an all-natural, drug-free, stressfree humane environment, and finished with Takeda’s special Japanese vegetarian diet.

Pete Eshelman explains that the reason they vertically integrated and began raising the Wagyu beef (and other products) they serve in their restaurant is because “it gave us complete control over the quality of the end-products.” He notes, “Many restaurants don’t know where the products they serve came from or how they were produced.”

For their restaurant they fabricate the animals using seam butchery, which allows more opportunities to explore and find uses for the whole carcass. Pete says, “Our restaurant is like a lab in many ways.”

Presently, the Joseph Decuis Wagyu herd is about 200 head, with 80% fullbloods and the balance F1 and F2 females.

Pete says his preference is for fullbloods

Market Matters | WW

because the carcass is so completely marbled and tender, which lends itself well with their efforts to utilize the entire carcass.

Speaking to the quality of Wagyu beef, he notes that in their region of the country where $12 to $20 steaks aren’t uncommon, he is able to sell a 5 oz. Wagyu tenderloin for $95 and a 5oz. ribeye for $85, and he adds, “I’m often running out.”

Looking to the future for the breed, Pete says, “One of the challenges we have with Wagyu in the U.S. and the world is consistently branding what Wagyu is and isn’t.”

He explains that in Japan only 100% Wagyu can utilize that name, whereas the U.S. allows animals with only 50% Wagyu to use it.

He is also concerned with the inconsistencies in quality grading that exist around the world.

Pete would prefer an international standard be created. He says, “If it is Wagyu fullblood it should be labeled as such; if it’s a F1 or F2, call it a Wagyu crossbred and let people know that.” He adds, “The potential for Wagyu is huge, but we must get our arms around consistency in branding and grading.” He sees a parallel between Wagyu and champagne – everyone began using the champagne name even though the products differed in quality, and today the champagne brand has eroded.

He envisions a unique future for food, and says, “The farm to table movement is cool, but I think the next level is restaurants owning farms. It took us 10 years to work that out. Farmers and chefs are two different species; it’s two different businesses.” That said, once the two are working together the end result can

be amazing. Eshelman is particularly interested in exploring underutilized carcass cuts and says, “There are lots of future opportunities.”Having spoken at the Wagyu World Conference in Australia in May 2015, Pete Eshelman enjoyed being among like-minded producers and chefs sharing ideas. He says, “I really am passionate about bringing the world together for a cultural exchange with Wagyu as the centerpiece and people sharing husbandry and culinary ideas.”

In their corner of the world, to help teach the public about the “real” story of Wagyu, private tours are hosted on the Joseph Decuis Wagyu Farm. The Eshelman’s have also produced a documentary called The Joseph Decuis Story, which features their Wagyu journey to Japan and back, and they’ve produced a book called America’s Wagyu Trail.

Visit Roanoke Over the past two decades, the hard work – and creativity - of the Eshelman’s, the superior beef that is Wagyu, and the aura of Joseph Decuis, have certainly put Roanoke, Indiana on the map. The once bereft town is now a vibrant retail mecca – a charming farm community with unique local shops, art galleries and a plethora of community events. It just might be one those places people should add to their bucket list after all.

A variety of special events, as well as weddings and corporate meetings are hosted at the Joseph Decuis venues throughout the year. Learn more – and take a virtual tour or the restaurant’s six special dining rooms as well as their bed and breakfast inns – by visiting josephdecuis.com.

(530) 668-1224

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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(530) 668-1224

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

A Long Journey hAs reAched its end

Introducing the Dispersion of the Whitehead Wagyu Herd

Featuring Progeny of LMR RMW Itomoritaka, Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T & Other Powerful Wagyu Sires

Cow Families Featured Include: DOW Ranches 827 (Shidoosha daughter with TF Kikhana as the maternal grandsire)

LMR RMW Itomoritaka

DOW Ranches 849 (Takazakura daughter with Itomoritaka as the maternal grandsire) ESF Hirashi 033-113 (BR Hirashigetayasu 9645 daughter with Michifuku as the maternal grandsire) ESF Umi-Yama Ho (A Purebred Female Featuring the genetics of Michifuku & Kikuyasu-400) Due to health complications, David Whitehead and his family have decided to end the journey they have traveled raising Wagyu. The bloodlines and individuals that make up this high caliber group of animals are the best of the best.

Females, Pairs, Embryos and Semen are Available!

Bar R Shigeshigetani 30T

ESF Hirashi 033-113

Herd Location: Oregon

For More Information Please Contact: R.L. Freeborn 541•480•2471

Mercedes Danekas-Lohse 916•849•2725

RLFREEBORN@AOL.COM

MERCEDES@JDAONLINE.COM

David Whitehead 509•947•4717

ESF Umi-Yama Ho Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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A DIFFERENT WORLD WITH WAGYU It was a big change, going from commercial cattle to raising Fullblood Wagyu. “I am a very detail-oriented person and drawn to science and data.

Michael Beattie shares that passion with me. Part of my enjoyment with these cattle is my ability to work with numbers, data and science,” says Estrin.

“Bob is very meticulous with his records,” says Beattie. “Everything at Lone Mountain is driven by his data.

Bob is also an excellent marketer and a compassionate person who will always do right by people. I don’t know of anyone here in the U.S. who would research as much as he does. He spends a lot of time looking into the breeds and has enormous respect for the Japanese. He has been to Japan many times immersing himself in the culture, the people and, of course the Wagyu breed which is not only a national living treasure but an exquisite animal producing phenomenal meat quality and flavor. Bob’s mind is like a sponge--eager to learn as much as he can,” says Beattie.

Marketing the meat has become a big part of the business and will become even bigger as their numbers expand. “We are still the only American operation that is deeply involved with BREEDPLAN,” says Estrin.

“We’ve been collecting data and meticulous records for the past 11 years. Over the years we’ve added to our database of information with BREEDPLAN. As far as I know we are the only herd in the U.S. that gets estimated breeding values or EPDs on a monthly basis. Our cattle are compared, not only within our own herd, but within the larger herd outside of Japan. I think the current numbers involved nearly 50,000 Wagyu. When we get an EPD/EBV in the top 5%, it’s the top 5% of 50,000 other Wagyu outside Japan. That has been very important for us,” he says.

We bought one of Dr. Keigo Kuchida’s cameras in 2011. I started taking the pictures of our carcasses, then Griff took over for a number of years, and now Diana Schafer goes every 6 weeks to Omaha where our cattle are harvested at O’Neill’s packing plant and takes the pictures. I used to do all the calculations, using Dr Kuchida’s software and now Diana does all that.”

Foxley explains that this is one of the ways Lone Mountain Wagyu ensures quality and connects with the breeding of these cattle, by using the carcass camera. “We take high resolution photographs of every beef carcass.

This camera and software was developed by Japanese professor Keigo Kuchida,” he says.

The photos are fed into the software program and can accurately measure about two dozen different metric attributes regarding the quality of each animal. “Then we can confirm the marbling quality of each carcass, and link that with the breeding of each of those 22 Wagyu World | September/October 2016

<< Page 13 this e-commerce portion of

the business since 2011. Since then, we’ve redesigned the website twice.

There is a growing trend for home consumers and home chefs/cooks. They are very excited about our product as they become more sophisticated and expand their knowledge of Fullblood Wagyu beef,” Foxley says.

The third member of the team is Michael Beattie. “He takes care of data management, taking on a lot of the work that I have been doing—so I can work more with Griff and concentrate on our hopes and dreams for expansion,” says Estrin. “I am still spending about 60 hours a week on data collection and analysis and breeding decisions. If Michael can take part of that load off me, working on BREEDPLAN issues, database issues, mating decisions, sale animal commentary, etc. this will help free me up to concentrate on other issues.”

Michael is the newest member of the Lone Mountain team and has come up to speed rapidly. “We are revamping our website, and Michael has been writing and developing content for that, as well as working on our new bull battery/breeding guide. We have a designer lined up and hope to have the website and breeding guide both up and running before the end of the year,” says Estrin.

This has been a terrific collaboration. “I first met Michael when I went

to Australia for their conference in 2007 and then to Japan for the all-Japan Wagyu competition held every 5 years. I went to the one in 2012 and plan to go to the next one in 2017. I went to Australia because they had a tour group that was going to Japan after their conference.

I enjoyed meeting all those wonderful folks in Australia, including Michael,” he says.

“When I was president of the Wagyu Association one of the things I hoped to do was bring Michael from Australia to the U.S. to become the executive director of the U.S. Association. I finally got that done, and when Michael thought it was time for him to move on from that position, I talked to him about helping me. We had a close friendship and I thought he would be a great fit for Lone Mountain Ranch and wanted to have him on our team. He thought about it and finally accepted. He is an outstanding addition to the staff,” says Estrin.

Beattie was hired to assist with data management and research. “My role is working behind the scenes assessing the data on the herd so we can accelerate genetic and carcass improvement,” says Beattie.

“Bob is very focused on herd performance and carcass evaluation, so for the past 8 years or more he has been dual registering his herd with the U.S. Association and Australia so he can re-

ceive EBV (estimated breeding values; U.S. producers know it as EPDs) performance data on his cattle.”

Beattie ran the Australian Wagyu Association for 5 years before coming to the U.S. “Bob was instrumental in encouraging me to relocate to the U.S. and manage the American Wagyu Association. At that time Professor Charlie Gaskins was retiring and they were in need of a replacement. He saw the work that I had done for the Australian industry, turning it around in 5 years, and so I accepted the offer,” says Beattie.

“I ran the U.S. Association for 5 years, and took the breed society as far as I could, so earlier this year I decided to have a sea change and return to my passion of data analysis and herd improvement,” he says.

For almost 20 years he was associated with ABRI, assuming various roles within the BREEDPLAN team processing and analyzing data for Australian Angus, Argentina Angus herds, Chilean herds, Australian Belmont Reds, and other breeds. “Those years at ABRI provided me with enormous insight into the commercial beef industry and an understanding of the importance of genetic evaluations for herd improvement. My contribution to our ABRI clients help path the way for those herds to reap the benefits of genetic evaluation and reward them with improved genetics which in turn gave a higher economic return,” says Beattie.

EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT GOOD FAT Another passion of Estrin’s is to educate people about the health benefits of this highly marbled beef, a healthy fat.

“I have been reading a great deal about this topic for several years,” he says.

“I was introduced to the concept of fat being good for one’s health, not evil, which was dealt with at length in a book called Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. He then wrote another book, a simplified version of the first book and titled Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It. Gary introduced me to Peter Attia, a physician who is now devoting his life-work to nutrition.

Peter has a blog and gave a wonderful TED Talk about the currently held belief that fat is evil. Nina Teicholz, another investigative journalist, has written a marvelous book documenting how we’ve all been programed to think of fat as being evil, that everything we think we know about dietary fat is wrong. This has been a problem for Wagyu producers who are trying to sell highly-marbled beef because of the widely held notion of fat being unhealthy--even though it is a very important part of our diet,” says Estrin. Wagyu beef is rich in healthy fats.

“We always test one carcass at each harvest, to see what the fatty acid profile is. We find that 55-60% of the beef is monounsaturated fat, the same kind of fat one finds in olive oil and salmon.

Over the past three years, we’ve identified that Lone Mountain Fullblood Wagyu, in comparison to wild caught salmon, has almost 10 times as much monounsaturated Fat and 10 times as much oleic acid (Omega-9 Fatty Acid).

We made a chart for some infographics and pamphlets we’ve generated, showing this comparison. We have verified these findings with our nutritional consultant, Dr. Jimmy Horner.”

animals,” Foxley explains. Since the goal is to increase the marbling quality, this information can be fed back into the breeding operation, enabling them to concentrate their efforts on the best marbling animals. This is the proof, showing which genetics provide the best marbling carcass. New technology has greatly aided genetic selection.

The EBVs (estimated breeding values) are now based on actual carcass data, determined by the images—in Australia and here in the U.S. “You can measure the intramuscular fat exactly, as well as the fineness of the marbling,” says Estrin. “We have EBVs on all traits, including Birthweight, Weaning Weight, Ribeye Area (EMA), etc. It is extremely helpful to know, especially when we can base it on carcass data derived from sires we have been using, including our own sires. Up until now it’s been just the foundation sires. Now we are starting to see our Lone Mountain bulls’ EBVs based on actual carcass data,” says Estrin.

This is something Michael Beattie is well versed in. “He has been working with BREEDPLAN for many years, and is trying to help us make sure it all adds up.”

The idea of using this kind of data is new to Wagyu breeders in this country.

“I don’t think the average Angus breeder would consider buying bulls without seeing the EBVs or EPDs on them. This has become a standard tool throughout the cattle industry, yet in the U.S. very few Wagyu breeders collect data and even fewer are involved with BREEDPLAN. Producers advertise such-and-such bull or cow as the best, or fantastic, but there’s no real information on most Wagyu cattle,” Estrin says.

“I don’t worry about that, however, because I am only concerned about our own herd and what we can bring to the growing Wagyu producer base. We want to be clear about what we’ve got. When we sell, we try to be completely transparent, and honest—good stewards of this great breed of cattle,” he says.

“What makes Lone Mountain stand out from the crowd in the U.S. is proof that their genetics work,” says Beattie. “Bob has real data behind the genetics and is willing to educate folks why these genetics work. When he goes to sell females, bulls or semen he has evidence to show that these genetics have the potential.

He’s not just relying on pedigree alone, as most people do.”

Lone Mountain’s focus is all about the meat. “My role is to try and help them along this journey,” says Beattie. “That’s what this breed is—a carcass breed and definitely not a beauty contest. Whether you are a Fullblood, Purebred, high percentage or F1 producer, there is a place for your category. Lone Mountain has gone down the path of producing high performing Fullblood genetics and a traceable Fullblood meat product. They have spent many years building a strong brand and will continue to build on it. I wholeheartedly believe that Lone Mountain has been the face of Wagyu promotion in the U.S. for the past decade,” Beattie says.

Wagyu World | September/October 2016 23

September/October 2016

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OUT & ABOUT Wagyu Sales, Shows, and Other Happenings Field Day

Imperial Wagyu Field Day

omaha, nebraska

Sale Report

Grandeur Wagyu Frozen Genetics Sale

COEUR Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ALENE, IDAHO September 14th, 2016

2 Picks 1 Flush 57 Embryos 16 Semen Lots

Avg. $11,000 Avg. $6000.00 Avg. $1,019.30 per embryo Avg. $3,193.75

Top Pick Lots Lot 4, Pick of a black full blood heifer calf from the Ultimate Kobe Beef 2017 spring calf crop; owned by Ultimate Kobe Beef to Chisholm Cattle Wimberly, TX for $15,000.

Lot 1, Pick of a full blood heifer calf from the Bar R Cattle Company 2016 spring calf crop; owned by Bar R Cattle Company to Bar V Cattle Company Abilene, KS for $7000.

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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Top Flush Lot Lot 8A, Flush of IWG Ms 177; owned by Idaho Wagyu Genetics to JMJS Cattle Tyler, TX for $6000.

Top Embryo Lots Lot 6, HB Big Al 502 X WSI Kaedemaru 2, 3 Embryos; owned by Legendary Akaushi Genetics to Fazenda Engenho de Rainha de Rainha Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for $2000/embryo.

Lot 7, Bald ridge Henshin X WS WSI Kaedemaru 2, 3 Embryos; owned by Legendary Akaushi Genetics to Fazenda Engenho de Rainha de Rainha Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for $1500/embryo.

Lot 17, Bar R 52Y X Bar R 5U, 2 Embryos; owned by Bar V Cattle Company to Kenny Landgraf Austin, TX for $1350/ embryo.

Lot 9, Mt Fuji X Takara-Sachi, 4 Embryos; owned by Kay Ranch to Tom Branch Weatherford, TX for $1250/embryo.

Lot 15, The Wright Wagyu Master Chef E146 X Gabni Rubi, 3 Embryos; owned by Idaho Wagyu Genetics to JMJS Cattle Tyler, TX for $1200/embryo.

Lot 16, HB Big Al 502 X UKB Ms Hikari Homare J30E, 2 Embryos; owned by Ultimate Kobe Beef to William Neal Hartville, MO for $1200/embryo.

Top Semen Lots Lot 21, Mt Fuji, 6 Units; owned by Platinum Wagyu to Brian Drury Stafford, MO for $1500/unit.

Lot 3, OWFFK00 139 Focono F, 10 Units; owned by Delta Wagyu to Bar V Cattle Company Abilene, KS for $1200/unit.

Lot 23, JVP Kikuyasu-400, 5 Units; owned by Ultimate Kobe Beef to Theresa Olson North Bend, MN for $850/unit.

Lot 22, HB Big Al 502, 5 Units; owned by Legendary Akaushi Genetics to Vermont Wagyu Springfield, VT for $700/unit.

Lot 27, World K’s Michifuku, 6 Units; owned by Platinum Wagyu to Kenny Landgraf Austin, TX for $600/unit.

Auctioneer: Butch Booker Sale Managed by: James Danekas and Associates Convention

American Wagyu Association Convention

COEUR D’ ALENE, IDAHO

T

he 2016 American Wagyu Association annual convention, held in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, was a success with 161 attendees from all around the globe. The conference kicked off Wednesday afternoon with a Wagyu 101 meeting where one of the AWA’s new employees, Michelle Norton, spoke about the ins and outs of the DNA submission and registration process and how to transfer animals.

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This session was a must for those new to the breed and also a good place for experienced members to find out tips and tricks to make registering their animals easier. The AWA also had GeneSeek’s Genomic Support Specialists, Ben Howard and John Paterson, on hand during this meeting to answer all members’ questions. Tips from the meeting include making sure to pull at least a pencil’s thickness worth of

hair for DNA follicle testing, using the outer shell of a BIC pen to ship semen straws safely, and, when purchasing an animal, confirming that it has SNP numbers. GeneSeek needs blood

Out & About | WW

samples (instead of tissue or hair) for all animals under six months of age. They stressed the importance of allowing all blood samples to dry thoroughly at room temperature.

Several questions were asked about storing DNA samples. Hair and properly dried blood cards can safely be stored at room temperature. Blood tubes, semen straws, and tissue should all be frozen for storage. When registering, the AWA will assume that whoever owns the cow is the breeder unless you tell them differently. Sarah Ryan, from Allflex Tags, introduced their tissue sampling unit (TSU) and explained how it works. Benefits for using the TSU were ease of use, greater efficiency in the labs, and less chance of cross-contaminates.

That evening, James Danekas & Associates, Inc. sponsored a meet and greet for all conference attendees.

Cocktails, bites, and socializing were followed by the Grandeur Frozen Genetics sale. Top picks of the sale went for an average of $11,000, with the top flush lot bringing in $6,000. The average price of the fifty-seven embryos sold for just over $1,000, and the average semen lot sold for $3,193.75.

Thursday’s activities opened with the Annual General Meeting. Joe Hoye presided with eight of the nine board members in attendance. Those directors present included: Martin Anderson, 1st Vice President/Secretary, Weldon Mahan, 2nd Vice President/Treasurer, Paul Redner, Member at Large, Julie Barnes, Eldon Clawson, Dennis Kuempel, Jr., and Ralph Valdez. Don Brown was absent.

Weldon Mahan gave the Treasurer’s report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. The AWA has $564,135.33

in its banking account, and had a net income of $50,823 even with lowering the registration fees by 40% last year.

This was partially due to a genetic testing increase of 14% and due to membership dues growing by 10%. It is also important to note that we did not have an executive director to pay during the months of May and June.

In Joe Hoye’s presidential report, he said that the board has met sixteen times in the past year, with three of those meetings being face-to-face meetings.

They discussed the possibility of using derived DNA from several offspring to register animals, but did not think it was a viable option at this time. He announced that a data sharing agreement with the Australian Wagyu Association and the United Kingdom Wagyu Association was signed with the intent of speeding the development of Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) as well

as promoting the Wagyu breed worldwide. The AWA board of directors also worked diligently to finalize the details of the proposed lipid study.

Martha Patterson then gave the AWA Office Report stressing that we, the membership, are why they are there and that we should always feel free to call with any questions. She introduced the AWA’s two new hires, Michelle Norton – Assistant Registrar, who has her degree in Animal Science and who previously worked at the USDA specializing in exporting semen out of the country, and Kelley Marcantel – Accounts/General Administration, who has her MBA. With these two team members, the AWA office staff has done an amazing job continuing on without an executive director. They recorded a record number of 1,100 registrations in the last quarter.

The topic of the lipid study was introduced by Martin Anderson and then turned over to Jim Long, who explained the design study changes. As Heartbrand essentially makes up more than 99% of the market harvest for all red animals, the age they harvest their animals (twenty-two to twenty-four months) is the industry standard. Since all animals’ lipids improve with age, the study needs to change to harvest a portion of each class of steers at different ages to resolve the bias. Jim also presented the need for more full blood red steers to be committed for the study to move forward, as only three steers were committed at that time. Jim then presented an option to purchase registered DNA-

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Out & About | WW

verified fullblood red Wagyu steers from Heartbrand Beef and Legendary Akaushi Genetics for approximately $900 per animal. He asked for twenty volunteers to purchase an animal and pay for the feed costs. Twenty-five animals were generously donated, and then a discussion ensued about the possible need to add additional study categories of F-1 reds over Angus and fullblood reds crossed with blacks.

Paul Redner gave the audit committee report, and Julie Barnes let us know that the handbook committee is working diligently to have an updated handbook available by the beginning of the next year. The floor was then opened for nominations for the board of directors.

Nominations in alphabetical order are: Jeremy Freer Ohio, nominated in absentia Janell Henschel Montana Justin Jackman Florida, nominated in absentia Mike Kerby Missouri, nominated in absentia Dennis Kuempel Texas Ralph Lee Texas Isaiah Shnurman Iowa Four positions need to be filled: three three-year terms and one oneyear term. It was explained that the top three candidates in number of votes will be awarded the three-year terms, and the fourth place candidate will get the one-year term. However, since the bylaws state that only two di30

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

rectors from a state may serve at the same time, and because Weldon Mahan is from Texas and is remaining on the board, only the top candidate from Texas will be selected, no matter the number of votes the second Texan receives.

After a short break, Lance Zimmerman of Cattlefax presented Cattle Market Outlook: The Backside of the Cycle Highs. According to Zimmerman, the biggest challenge facing beef producers is on the supply side. We have had to incentivize with margins to get people to chew through the beef. With commodity prices down, we need more export markets to step into the picture and more retailers to get greedy. On a positive note, Zimmerman pointed out that the fine dining segment (where a lot of Wagyu is served) has weathered the storm of the past six or seven years exceptionally well. More prime meat is being produced, but the demand is still there. To protect yourself on the backside of the cycle high, Lance suggested pricing things out front by getting contracts and protecting margins. Zimmerman warned, “Proceed with caution and

know exactly what you are getting into if you are going to feed longer. There is no incentive to keep them longer.”

In closing, Zimmerman suggested that there is a time to cuss and a time to get down on your knees and that now is a time for both.

A delicious American Wagyu hamburger lunch with all the fixings sponsored by Montana Meat Company greeted attendees on the outdoor patio of the hotel. With stunning views of the mountains and the water, freshly fried potato chips, and ice cream cookie sandwiches for dessert, no one left hungry.

After lunch Dr. Kimberly Kirkham, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine working for the USDA APHIS Veterinary Services, gave her presentation entitled Livestock Exports – The Global Perspective. Her speech highlighted the need to safeguard the health of our domestic livestock and poultry by vigilantly surveying imports for diseases. Another facet of her job is emergency preparedness and responding to natural and man-made disasters. USDA APHIS maintains a national veterinary stockpile to pro

Out & About | WW

vide critical veterinary countermeasures within twenty-four hours.

Next, Iowa State University’s Dr. Dorian Garrick gave an introduction to genetics and EPDs. Dr. Garrick started by saying that more than three quarters of the diversity of the breed is exhibited in the offspring of any one sire or dam. This led to his main point that the only way to improve the breed is to use the genomic method - selecting candidates that are better than their parents. Garrick said, “If you keep using an old bull (the pedigree based conventional method), you’ll never progress.” He pointed to a study of three prefectures in Japan that did on-farm progeny testing. When they moved away from visual scoring of the animals, they were able to raise the BMS scores of their product by three levels. Garrick encouraged the audience, whether you are interested in selection for profit or selection as a hobby, to explore using genomics to provide new opportunities for understanding your breeding program.

After a short break, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam spoke to attendees about genomic-enhanced EPDS (GE-EPDs).

Eenennaam said that in order to get accurate genomic predictions, the Wagyu breed will need to put together a large training population, because interbreed EPDs do not correlate well. Using GE-EPDs has compelling animal

welfare and human health benefits.

Some traits that she suggested might be of interest to edit for the Wagyu breed include polled/horned, myostatin, recessive genetic conditions, GH gene, SCD, and tenderness. Dr. Eenennaam then discussed if an edited animal is regulated as a GMO. As no new DNA is introduced to the animal and the gene editing process just turns off some DNA strands, she firmly believes this process would not result in a GMO. However, at this time, it is unclear whether gene editing would be a trigger for regulatory oversight.

The next speaker of the day was Katlin Davis from Idaho’s Beef Council. She spoke about Idaho’s Beef Check Off Program and the latest consumer trends. Positive consumer

trends for beef include that it is growing as the preferred protein choice, PR is good, and price resistance is not an issue. Negative consumer trends include weekly consumption of beef is down to one serving per week, there are fewer heavy users (defined as eating beef three or more times a week), beef’s nutrition is still a concern for the consumer, and chicken is winning on ease of preparation.

The final session of the day was

by Dr. Benton Glaze from the University of Idaho. Dr. Glaze, an Extension Beef Cattle Specialist, spoke about the safe handling and storage of vaccines.

His main point was that most vaccines require refrigeration and that refrigerators are not temperature stable. 25% of the refrigerators tested actually froze the product - the worst thing that you can do.

The evening closed out with a cocktail party starring tenderloin skewers cooked tableside sponsored

by Imperial Wagyu Beef and delicious street tacos sponsored by Nakagawa Ranch. Other small plates graced

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stations around the room to encourage guests to mingle. Huckleberry ice cream chocolate lollipops were a sweet ending to bring regional flavors to the experience.

Friday morning dawned bright and breezy. Brian Bledsoe, Meteorologist, began the morning’s information sessions with a presentation on weather and how it affects your operations. Currently, in regards to drought, the nation’s breadbasket is in pretty good shape, the western cornbelt is doing awesome, and California is hurting because of a combination of lack of moisture and population growth. Colorado has a similar water shortage problem due to its recent urban expansion. To give his long-range forecast, Bledsoe looks at the ocean temperatures and utilizes historic data to predict current patterns. This winter, Brian predicts, will be drier and warmer than normal in the West, colder and wetter than normal in the northern plains and upper Midwest, colder than last winter in the central and southern plains area, and drier than normal in the lower Mississippi Valley into Tennessee Valley and parts of the southeast.

Shane Bedwell, from the Hereford Association, started an interesting discussion with his topic of Moving Data to Breed Plan and Beyond. He explained what data BREEDPLAN can give you, and that the breeders in the Hereford Association that utilized BREEDPLAN commanded higher prices on average for their animals.

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As a breed, he encouraged us to measure to find the outliers to improve upon, and he stressed that “eyeballing it does not work. You have to measure it (data).” Jerry Reeves suggested that creating a test herd and getting this data is even more vital to our breed than moving forward with the lipid study. Weldon Mahan then took the floor. He said that only six members in the AWA currently participate in BREEDPLAN. The question he put to the audience was “How do we get beyond Michifuku?”

After a short coffee break, Dr. Bob Richmond from Research Management Systems spoke about extending data collection with the meat-grading camera. The camera captures images and provides data such as saleable yield, yield grade, a tenderness prediction, the ribeye area, and the color of the meat and the fat among other

things. One camera costs anywhere from $30,000 to $50,000, depending on how many connections are needed.

A brisket lunch out on the patio sponsored by A Bar N and Celina Cattle Company was a welcome retreat. Attendees got a little sunshine and fresh air along with fabulous American Wagyu and assorted veggies. Strawberry shortcake topped off that meal. The beautiful views and full bellies made it difficult to go back inside for more meetings.

After lunch, Ray Williams of Gallagher Equipment spoke on the fundamentals of RFID tagging and collecting data. He listed the advantages of RFID: it is not very expensive, a profile capturing unlimited data on that animal can be created, and it offers another form of identification for each animal in case the ear tag is missing.

EIDs are small and designed for high retention rates, and an animal can be easily identified by scanning the tag with a reader, saving time and mini

mizing errors.

The following session by Kathie Williams was a sales presentation about CattlePro, a ranch management software designed to keep detailed livestock records.

The final presentation of the day was by Doug Stanton of IMI Global.

He presented different labeling claims, how his company verifies them, and the types of consumers that demand these services. In the future, he projects a continued development of private standards worldwide and that consumers will demand locally sourced, state programs, responsible use verification, more traceability of their food products, animal welfare verification, more social responsibility of producers, and proven sustainability.

Following the day’s meetings, all attendees spruced themselves up in their cowboy/cowgirl formal wear and boarded the two-story boat to take a sunset cocktail cruise on Lake Coeur d’Alene. With meat donated by Nakagawa Ranch, Wagyu meatball lollipops and chips and tomato caprese skewers were served as appetizers while cruising the calm, blue waters.

After departing the boat and climbing the steps up the hill, conference attendees were treated to an amazing evening of fine dining, fellowship with friends, and scenic overlook views.

100% Wagyu grain-fed and grass-fed prime rib was served side-by-side with Wagyu tenderloin. Yarmony Ranch sponsored the grain-fed rib roasts, Montana Meat Company sponsored the grass-fed rib roasts, and Imperial Wagyu Beef sponsored the tenderloin.

Idaho potatoes were featured in a creative potato martini station with a myriad of toppings. Coffee and choice of chocolate pistachio cheesecake or a white chocolate huckleberry cheesecake completed a truly unique dining experience. The AWA’s yearly auction was sold by Butch Booker with a special guest auctioneering appearance by his son, Cotton, who had just completed his auction calling camp. Attendees left the evening’s event with the moon and stars sparkling on the water to head back to their respective home-

towns.

We would like to extend our thanks to all 2016 sponsors – Tai Ranch, JDA, Inc., Steak Center Cattle, Wagyu Excelente, Imperial Wagyu Beef, Vermont Wagyu, A to Z Feeders, Mishima Reserve, Montana Meat Company, and Nakagawa Ranches. Also, Martha Patterson and the AWA staff and board members worked very hard to produce a seamless, educational, and enjoyable convention. A huge thank you belongs to each and every one of them for all of their tireless efforts and attention to details. We are looking forward to the time that we can all meet again next year in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Save the Date

Upcoming Events 2016 november

16

North American International Livestock Exposition Wagyu Show Louisville, Kentucky

2017 JANUARY

19-20 National Western Stock

Show Wagyu Events

Denver. Colorado 18

Mile High Wagyu Experience Sale Denver, Colorado

MAY 20

Lone Mountain Cattle Company Female Production Sale Albuquerque, New Mexico

JUNE 10

Passion for Prime Sale Springfield, Missouri

In the News AWA Executive Director: By Jeri Tulley

George Owen, newly appointed Executive Director of the AWA, grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. One set of his grandparents ranched in northern Missouri, and George spent a good portion of his summers there learning his way around cattle. Those summer days spent on the ranch inspired him to pursue his college degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

George met his wife, Susan, in a two-stepping class while in college. In a few short weeks, they will celebrate their twenty-first anniversary. They have two boys. Luke, age eighteen, is a freshman at Missouri State studying journalism, and Garret, age sixteen, is a sophomore in high school and is thinking about pursuing engineering as a career. With 34

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children that age, George spends most of his free time going to his boys’ events, but he says that, once the boys are grown, he expects that he and Susan will find some time to get back to two-steppin’ at their old hometown stomping grounds.

After George’s college graduation, he moved to the family ranch and started raising his own small registered herd. In American Wagyu Association 1996, he became a lab Executive Director manager and embryologist George Owen for Trans Ova Genetics, where he was responsible for supervising two embryologists, maintaining lab equipment, organizing and scheduling farm services, flushing hundreds of donor cows, and caring for the daily needs of the cattle.

George was recruited to sunny Florida to be the Director of Cattle Operations and herd manager for two different ranches – Blue Cypress Ranch and Rollins Ranch. During his time there, he managed over 13,000 head of commercial cattle alongside a 700-800 head purebred herd. As Director of Cattle Operations, he designed and implemented a custom breeding program for the commercial cattle, an A.I/Sync program for the registered and commercial cattle, and a rotational grazing program for eleven herds on 20,000 acres. Besides overseeing processing crews, cattle foreman, and cowboys, George selected the genetics for all ranches and was in charge of the semen collection program and pregnancy checking 50,000 cows via ultrasound. In this position he also gained experience in processing cattle.

As District Sales Representative for Semex, USA, George worked in sales and distribution of dairy and beef semen, increasing Semex’s sales by 30%. Promoted to Beef Department Manager with Semex, he oversaw all aspects of the beef department marketing, including beef trade shows and handling international sales producing an increase of 15% in sales, over the previous years.

Approached with an opportunity to work with revolutionary cloning technology, George moved his family to Austin and took a job with ViaGen as their Beef Program Sales Manager. For four years, he managed ViaGen’s North American bovine cloning sales. He was instrumental in the formation of Bovance, a joint venture between ViaGen and Trans Ova Genetics, and was a member of the ViaGen Bovine Genetics team, which created customized genetic programs for cattle producers.

George and his wife, Susan, moved their family back

home to Columbia to be closer to both sets of parents. Working as an independent contractor for Triple Impact LLC/Zoetis, George installed and trained feedlot users on a feed intake and health monitoring system, customizing the programs for individual feed yards. His problem solving skills and industry knowledge were put to the test in dealing with clients and on-site situations.

Situated just north of Columbia, their home sits on acreage surrounded by trees.

As our new Executive Director, George plans to work from his home office when he is not traveling on AWA business. He plans to spend at least one week once a month at the office in Idaho but is flexible to change that plan to meet any needs that arise.

About Wagyu, George says, “I haven’t had any bad ways of eating it.” His favorite so far was a steak grilled for him at Heartbrand. George remembers coming home to his wife and saying, “They’ve kind of ruined me on regular beef. This is a whole new ballgame with this kind of steak.”

The main priorities George wants to address for the AWA are three-fold: marketing and how to take the next step forward in promoting the breed, providing the most up-to-date ways of getting EPDs to the membership’s breeders and collecting that data, and expanding into the commercial market to show what the Wagyu breed can do when it is crossed with commercial animals. Also, he is already scouting locations and programs for next year’s AWA convention planned for Kansas City, Missouri.

“I’ve been lucky to be a part of so many different things within the cattle industry,” says George. This depth of knowledge makes him ideal for his current role as the AWA’s Executive Director. With George’s solid understanding of ranching operations, as well as his experience with sales and marketing management and with cattle breeding tools and technology, the AWA is positioned to see an explosion of growth in all things Wagyu. George, we welcome you.

Check out our Wagyu World Facebook page to stay current on what’s new!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

imperialwagyubeef.com 402.557.6200

On site nutritionist Affordable cost of grain NHTC and GAP approved Indoor or outdoor feeding Each animal electronically identified Computerized rations

- Fullblood heifers and bulls for sale - Modernized genetics - F1 contracts available - contact our office 40 head of 2 year old virgin fullblood bulls feed efficiency tested for sale

www.atozfeeders.com (712) 243-4515 atozfeeders@gmail.com Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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I

mperial Wagyu Beefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s focus and goal has always been to be the preferred and most trusted resource for premium Wagyu beef. This company works hard at providing the very best eating experience for the consumerâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to enjoy and share with family and friends.

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In 2005, seven cattlemen joined together to create a partnership with a common vision - to produce and market a high-end beef product guaranteed to deliver THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE. In their view, the Wagyu breed was considered the only option to accomplish such a mission. One of

them owned a feed yard, and had been feeding Wagyu calves--and recently acquired some of his own Wagyu breeding stock.

The group decided to create a beef company and produce the finest beef available These seven men had more than 150 years of experience collectively in the cattle

Market Matters | WW

In 2005, seven cattlemen joined together to create a partnership with a common vision - to produce and market a high-end beef product guaranteed to deliver THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE.

industry, but the specialty beef market presented a new opportunity for them. The road to success in this new venture would be long--with plenty of twists, turns and growing pains--but looking back now, they feel that all of the trials and tribulations have been worth the effort.

Today, Imperial Wagyu Beef is overseen by a Board of Managers (Joe Hoye, Roger Clift and Bo Hobby) and operated under the leadership of its President, Tami Tibben. Hoye, Clift and Hobby are deeply involved in the cattle industry, each owning and operating other industry related busi-

nesses.

Hoye, current president of the American Wagyu Association, owns a cow/calf and feed yard operation in Iowa, called JDH Inc. This feed yard was the first (and still is) home for many of Imperial’s feeder cattle.

Starting in 1999, Hoye fed Wagyu cattle, and gained valuable knowledge and experience with the Wagyu breed. Today Hoye also owns a seedstock herd of Wagyu cattle, producing purebred and fullblood bulls which he sells to Imperial.

Clift owns several cow herds that produce calves for Imperial and is a partner in other cattle/beef business ventures including Preferred Beef Group and Hansford County Feeders, both based in Texas. His extensive network of industry colleagues as well as his experience at the processing plant and feed yard have been instrumental in aiding Imperial’s learning curve and rate of success.

Hobby, former President of the Florida Cattlemen’s Association, owns and operates a cow/calf operation and has partnered with a grow yard in Florida. He is an avid supporter of Imperial Wagyu Beef and dedicates countless hours to building relationships, educating and assisting many of their producers in the state of Florida.

Tibben joined Imperial as their first employee in 2008, became a Partner in 2013 and was promoted to the position of President earlier this year. Since starting in the feeding industry at JDH Inc in 2006, she has worked diligently to oversee the beef production process, manage the day-to-day operations, spearhead the marketing/sales division and cultivate relationships with employees, industry affiliates, customers, producers and consumers.

Tibben has enjoyed being part of the Imperial Wagyu Beef program. “Joining the Imperial Team has provided me with an exceptional journey. My partners, our team and everyone involved with Imperial have evoked a passion I didn’t know could exist.

The great people I have met through cattle production and beef marketing have been extremely helpful and an absolute joy to work with,” says Tibben.

PASTURE TO PLATE DEDICATION The Imperial Wagyu Beef program differs from most beef operations by using a holistic production process, meaning they oversee the whole process from beginning to end or “pasture to plate”. The process begins with selecting outstanding black Wagyu Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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Market Matters | WW bulls with specific genetics known for producing high-quality, abundantly-marbled, tender Wagyu beef products. These bulls are then leased by producers nationwide, who use them in Angus cow herds; this creates an F1 (first cross) Wagyu/Angus calf. The calves are fed an all-natural, vegetarian diet during their Japanese-style feeding process.

This process features slow growth throughout an extended feeding period. Hormones, growth promoting products and/or antibiotics are never allowed.

“In 2007, Imperial proudly received the first USDA certified Wagyu breed claim approval. A strict program plan verifying source, breed and accurate records for the animals has to be met in order to qualify for the approved labeling claim,” says Tibben.

This enabled the Imperial team to begin marketing Wagyu beef.

Tibben recalls thinking, “Quality products should be paired with exceptional customer service. By providing exceptional customer service, building genuine relationships and treating others as we’d treat ourselves, success is bound to follow.”

Their marketing efforts targeted several goals: quality beef raised by responsible producers on sustainable American family

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farms, humane handling and care practices, an All Natural product– beyond the USDA meaning of “minimally processed”--and producing the highest quality beef imaginable.

“The Wagyu breed has been in the United States for several decades, yet many people are still discovering this unique breed and the many benefits it bestows, therefore, our focus has been to both educate the public, and market simultaneously,” she explains.

“Several of our original producers took the first step with us, a step into the unknown world of Wagyu. Most of them didn’t have any neighbors raising Wagyu or anyone within their local communities to bounce ideas off of or collaborate with.

We vowed to be their sounding board and promised our availability if or when questions might arise,” says Tibben.

After the producers’ calves are weaned, Imperial purchases and places them in the main feeding program, located in the Midwest. “We work hard to ensure our customers have access to a year-round supply of Wagyu beef products. The Ultimate Partnership formed with our dedicated producers has contributed greatly to the success of this type of program. Also, Imperial’s willingness to advise on preferred raising prac-

tices for the breed and the availability of our consulting nutritionists aide in the transition from traditional cattle to Wagyu cattle,” she says.

“Our producers care about how their calves perform. They use our feedback to analyze their individual programs and determine ways to get better results,” says Tibben.

Imperial staff members are at the processing plant for every production. They sort the carcasses into four quality grades and oversee the quality during the fabrication process. This helps to ensure that their strict standards and cut specifications are met along with allowing for custom orders tailored specifically for the specialty beef markets. “We guarantee The Ultimate Product to create The Ultimate Plate,” says Tibben.

She travels frequently on behalf of Imperial, with trips to visit distributors and chefs across the nation. “These trips are very energizing. The excitement of the chefs and their staff during each visit contin-

ues to fuel my passion for this great breed.

I also visit producers and feed yards. They are often quite excited and eager to tell me their stories, too,” she says.

“We’re more than a company, we’re a community. We are a network of dedicated members who appreciate being a part of something bigger, and knowing that hard work and extra efforts can make a difference to the quality of products produced. I am proud to say that many of our original producers and customers are still members of our community today,” says Tibben.

EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION “Each year we host what we call our Behind the Scenes event to showcase our program and give people a look ‘Behind the Scenes’ of Imperial Wagyu Beef. We invite producers, customers and chefs—all the various people that we work with, in all aspects of this business. We bring them all together for a couple days and show them our process--and treat them to a 5-course Wagyu dinner,” she says.

“This experience helps answer their questions like ‘What makes us tick? What makes us strive for the best? How do we do it?’ We enjoy this time with everyone, watching the passion burn brighter through-

out the event. Some of our producers have never experienced Wagyu beef and some of our customers have never stepped foot on a real-live farm. This gives us the opportunity to provide a lot of “firsts” for people. It’s a great time for producers and customers to communicate, one-on-one. Oftentimes, one side doesn’t have much knowledge about what the other does; they have an idea but the actual experience engaging in conversation is the best educational tool,” says Tibben.

FUTURE PLANS When asked about the current success of Imperial Wagyu Beef, Tibben said, “It’s simple: We recognize that our producers and customers are equally important to the success of the company. The Imperial Team values these genuine relationships; we are passionate about innovation in the industries and we’re committed to producing consistent high-quality Wagyu beef products. I’m proud to be a part of this great company and look forward to leading us into the future.”

Imperial Wagyu Beef plans to continue growing and encouraging new producers, customers and other affiliates to join their community. Realizing that the specialty cattle and beef industries are ever-changing and evolving, Imperial listens to the mem-

Market Matters | WW bers in their community and is not afraid of change. “We make adjustments and/or revisions to our program in order to keep up with the times,” she says.

At the request of their producers across the country, Imperial has established several calf collection points nationwide to ensure better accessibility, and revised the pricing model for purchasing calves. At the request of their customers, they’re currently refreshing their look through a re-branding of their food service and retail packages and materials. One thing is sure, due to Imperial’s innovative nature, it will be difficult to predict what they will do next.

“Anyone interested in learning more about our company, producer program, Wagyu beef products or wanting to experience it first hand, is invited to visit imperialwagyubeef.com or contact us direct by either calling (402) 557-6200 or emailing info@ imperialwagyubeef.com ,” says Tibben.

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FeMale ProDuctioN Sale

May 20th, 2017

albuquerque, NM

Save the Date Lone Mountain Cattle Co. is committed to preserving and enhancing the integrity of the Wagyu breed by providing the wider Wagyu community with the best producing females to supplement your herd.

Robert & Mary Lloyd Estrin, Owners Golden, NM (505) 281-1432 www.LoneMountainCattle.com

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i i

Wagyu Experience

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

2017

Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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wAGYU world

c/o James Danekas & Associates, Inc. P.O. Box 8629 Woodland, CA 95776

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Wagyu World | September/October 2016

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