WAGYU BEEF INTENSIVE / EXTENSIVE PRODUCTION

1. Industry & Products

The Wagyu is a traditional Japanese cattle that produces heavy marbling in its meat. They result from 100 years of breeding in Japan. Most of the meat is on the shoulders of the animal, probably because it was originally bred for pulling ploughs in rice paddocks.

The heavy marbling in the beef from Wagyu is what the Japanese have experienced, and what they value.

The Japanese market buys Australia beef but will pay a large premium depending on the amount of marbling.

In terms of Australian beef breeders concept of a good beef animal, the Wagyu is all wrong. Observed from the rear it has anything but good conformity.

Wagyu have been imported and small numbers can be found Australia wide. The bulls have been successfully used with many breeds including Murray Grey, Angus, Friesian, and Hereford Angus crosses to produce animals and meat which returns a premium.

2. Physical Requirements

3. Production

Some Mallee farmers have developed systems of integrating sheep or cattle in semi intensive systems on cereal farms. These systems tend to be individual, but have a common component of periods of relatively high stocking rates on a confined area where they are fed with hay and grain or pellets produced on farm or locally. For this reason it is often referred to locally as "feed lotting".

The components of the management system which may handle up to 500 animals in a year would include:

• One hundred hectares of oaten pasture, specifically for grazing supplemented, with grain in self feeders.
• The legume pasture phase of a cereal farm rotation.
• Cereal crop stubble.
• Hay and grain from the farm.

4. Marketing

The production of cattle with the marbling characteristics sought by the Japanese market is classical example of niche marketing.
It exemplifies the need in producing any product for any market, firstly to determine what it is the market wants.

Secondly that product must be produced without introducing any ideas of what we think they should buy.

Thirdly to have a clear arrangement in detail for off taking of the product by the purchaser.

Progeny of Wagyu bulls can be marketed through an export abattoir, or they can be marketed "on the hoof".

The following is an example of the production for one niche market exercise, where live animals are shipped to Japan.

• White faced animals are not acceptable.
• The farmer must have detailed written records of each animal which means being involved in a "Cattle Care" program.
• Animals are managed on farm until about 280 - 300 kg in weight.
• They are transferred to a specified feed lot for a period before being loaded onto a boat.
• On reaching Japan are held a further 300 days in a feed lot, eventually slaughtered at between 500 and 700 kilograms weight.

5. Financial

6. Contacts

7. References

This publication may be of assistance to you but WARMPlan the State of Victoria and its officers do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of any kind or is highly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication.