Wagyu.....

[Warren Allison]

This was not my experience although mine were more of a longhorn type cow. Bought them bred to black baldy bull, 4 calfs, 2 black baldy,1 rwf, one spotted up, all had scurs. Next year bred to ultra black, 1 black and white line backed, 1 spotted, 1 speckled,1 black, all had scurs. None of it mattered to me because I was just finishing them to sell beef and they finished good, average age at finish was 20 months, around 625 hot carcass, on mostly just grass until last 60 days.

Being a part Hereford...black baldy... the bull was most likely hetero black and polled. Was the ultra black half reg Angus and half reg Brangus? UltraBlacks we have used were all registered UltraBlack with the Brangus Association. But we have gotten the same with Longhorns, Pineywoods, Fla Scrub and Fla Cracker cows. Just got to make sure none opf the LH or Corriente were part Watusi. It is hard to poll a Watusi.

 

[billyB]

Wagyu is definitely the wrong breed for selling based on their looks. Sale barns are 100% about looks, not meat quality. If your market is processed beef or breeding stock, then Wagyu and wagyu crosses are the most profitable cattle you can raise. $6.00 to $7.00 per lb. hanging weight is typical. The meat quality, fine marbling and tenderness is a dominant DNA trait. Fullbloods and purebreds finish prime or above prime and without the large amounts of cap fat and large veins of fat found in American breeds. You can control the BMS fo the finished product with proper feed and finishing methods. For instance, Angus prime is a BMS (marbling score) of 4.0. Wagyu generally range from BMS 5 to 12. The fat Japanese style $300/lb stuff is usually 10 to 12. For American taste, I usually take them to around a BMS 7. Fat is also completely different composition. It is the ideal composition of monounsaturated fats to actually lower cholesterol! It melts at 77 degrees while Angus melts at 104 degrees, so it cooks in about half the time. Cooked right, you can easily cut it with a fork. If you use a wagyu bull with Angus producing F1 cross, 75% of the offspring will likely grade prime or above prime and have wagyu qualities in the meat. 25% will be like angus.
Another advantage, Wagyu are much more virile than American breeds. A wagyu bull can handle 50% more cows than an Angus bull. They can breed from 12 months old up to 18 years. I have some 16-year-old cows producing calves every year. Wagyu are naturally gentler and more human curious than American breeds too. Calves are born smaller but grow quick. Wagyu milk is twice as rich as American breeds.

 

[farmerjan]

Since this thread was revived... I have to put in my 2 cents... Recently a farmer gave me 2 pkgs of ground beef... a 1/2 wagyu 1/2 holstein steer they killed. ... Raved about how good the meat was...
I cooked 3 burgers out of the 1 lb package because I normally do not eat a burger on a bun at home... so eat a 1/3 lb instead of a quarter pound.
They were tender, and juicy, but to me they were a "greasy juicy"... flavor was decent but I prefer my jersey and jersey crosses for flavor and for being more lean... I had them on different days... thinking maybe one day I might have had an off appetite. Still have the 2nd package in the freezer... might try to mix it with some of my own ground beef to make it leaner

Maybe a steak would be better... more tender... but I like my meat on the rare side, and I like the leaner meat since I do not overcook it. I don't especially want to eat all that fat. It left an after taste... maybe it was the greasier feeling...maybe it was because my jerseys are mostly pasture raised and finished... not alot of feed/corn goes into them even at the end. Might be I do not have a "developed palate"....
I like lean venison and such....

I was not overly impressed.

 

[Dave]

I still contend that the biggest issue with raising Wagyu is that they are STUPID. Not something I want to deal with.

 

[rocfarm]

Black is Japanese Black
Red/Brown is Japanese Brown or Akaushi.
The other 2 breeds of Wagyu never left Japan.

BLK can be small and kind of ugly.
(no butt) Although we have a few 1500 lb cows and Bulls are around 1800.

Red/brown are much larger on average and Bulls can go 2000 +

I sold a Black bull last year to a terminal ranch for JBS,
they are starting to do the same thing.

If I start the Wagyu thing, the calves are supposed to go to jbs.

I think my current bull is Akauashi. I actually like the look of him.

Don't like the blacks.

 

[rocfarm]

We tried it. Neighbor had some older Select Sires Wagyu Emori semen. I told him, "I" wouldn't AI them, he had to. Bred 2 heifers, got 2 "steers" in September. They are definitely "different". Have to say though, both calves were up on their feet FAST, and were determined to get to the teat, never fell down. Vigor plus. VERY independent. Always act like they are 'happy to be alive'They also stand out like sore thumbs. Seem longer legged, narrower body, longer, bit narrower, faces. Rough coated compared to the full angus calves, surprisingly wider based than I thought they would be. Jury is still out.

At 6 weeks. He actually looks better in the pic than he does out with the others, heifer milks good.
View attachment 37286

This is the other one at ~2 months. View attachment 37289VS the full angus at 4 weeks.
View attachment 37290

Looks like my corriente/cross calf

 

[rocfarm]

It depends. According to B there are some which are terrible mothers. And some lines he says the calves aren't jump up aggressive as new born calves. I have yet to see one that is what I would consider a good milker. And if you don't have a market for them either live or in packages I wouldn't advise using them. Going to the sale with one is a guarantee beating.

In Japan they bottle feed the calves I think. Mothers don't raise them. That'd be in the genetics, I think.

 

[rocfarm]

Since this thread was revived... I have to put in my 2 cents... Recently a farmer gave me 2 pkgs of ground beef... a 1/2 wagyu 1/2 holstein steer they killed. ... Raved about how good the meat was...
I cooked 3 burgers out of the 1 lb package because I normally do not eat a burger on a bun at home... so eat a 1/3 lb instead of a quarter pound.
They were tender, and juicy, but to me they were a "greasy juicy"... flavor was decent but I prefer my jersey and jersey crosses for flavor and for being more lean... I had them on different days... thinking maybe one day I might have had an off appetite. Still have the 2nd package in the freezer... might try to mix it with some of my own ground beef to make it leaner

Maybe a steak would be better... more tender... but I like my meat on the rare side, and I like the leaner meat since I do not overcook it. I don't especially want to eat all that fat. It left an after taste... maybe it was the greasier feeling...maybe it was because my jerseys are mostly pasture raised and finished... not alot of feed/corn goes into them even at the end. Might be I do not have a "developed palate"....
I like lean venison and such....

I was not overly impressed.

Wagyu is not really for burgers IMO. Korean barbecue, Japanese tepanyaki or hot pot is how it should be cooked.

My wife cooks 1/2" thick wagyu strips in a flat pan. She lets the strips warm up to room temperature, rubs salt into it and lets it sit 30 minutes, then sears it 1 minute on each side and rests it for two minutes. When cooking, she sprinkles sea salt on the top of it. When she flips it, she adds sliced garlic to the pan around the strip and also adds garlic, a teaspoon of butter, and a pinch of salt on top of the seared side.

She says check out Gordon Ramsey's video if you are interested.

I like it in hot pot ok, but Wagyu done Korean barbecue style and eaten along with lots of kimchi side dishes is hard to beat as well.

 

[rocfarm]

This is what Wagyu heifers that don't breed up bring at the sale barn, I think. Wouldn't dare to run the cows on a commercial operation. Too risky, it seems.

 

[TexasJerseyMilker]

Are these the cattle the Japanese keep and feed buckets of beer and give them massages? https://blackmorewagyu.com/beer-and-massage-for-japanese-beef

"In addition to the practical aspects of feeding beer, massaging and brushing with liquors, these things are also done on occasion for the sake of the image associated with the gourmet meats that result from the production of Wagyu cattle. Ambiance and mystic are nearly as important in the eating experience as the flavour, juiciness and tenderness of the beef"
"