Waygu question

[farmerjan]

I was thinking the cross on a jersey to see if it increased the marbling but see the reasoning on using it on other types. Will not intentionally cross any jerseys with holstein. Been there ,done that. The cows do milk decent but most have attitudes. They also tend to have much more problems with udder support in the third plus lactation. Have had a dozen or more of my own, seen hundreds in 25 years on dairies. There are a few farmers that like them, but 75-80% of them hate them and won't keep them around. I guess I have kept maybe 2 out of 10 or 12 past the second lactation and a couple that got really b****y and went to the stockyard and never got bred back for a second calf. So not an option in my book. I am going to look into the breed a little more though, I'm intrigued by it now. :nod: :nod: :nod:

 

[whitecow]

Wasn't there a lawsuit a few years ago regarding a previous sale of Waygu bulls to someone that announced they were going to use them in a crossbreeding program? I read about it, but have forgotten who the 2 parties were that was involved. If I remember correctly, (and may be wrong) the seller didn't know the buyer's plans at time of sale, and sued to get the bulls back when the cross breeding plan became public--and won.

I believe that was a lawsuit between the Koch brothers and the American Akaushi Assoc (red Wagyu). That group used contracts to maintain control over the genetics. You had to sell the calves back to them. Their are other red Wagyu availble now outside of the AAA.

 

[whitecow]

Fwiw, I've always heard that the reds were more sought after and had the more desirable fat profile.

The fullblood reds have been selling higher at breeder auctions. Maybe because there are fewer of them available. As for the difference in fat profile, I do not believe there is any data available yet that compares red to black. The Wagyu association and Texas A&M are in the process of conducting a big study to address that question. But it will be several years before that data is available.

 

[greybeard]

Wasn't there a lawsuit a few years ago regarding a previous sale of Waygu bulls to someone that announced they were going to use them in a crossbreeding program? I read about it, but have forgotten who the 2 parties were that was involved. If I remember correctly, (and may be wrong) the seller didn't know the buyer's plans at time of sale, and sued to get the bulls back when the cross breeding plan became public--and won.

I believe that was a lawsuit between the Koch brothers and the American Akaushi Assoc (red Wagyu). That group used contracts to maintain control over the genetics. You had to sell the calves back to them. Their are other red Wagyu availble now outside of the AAA.

Thanks--that jogs my memory now. Koch (Matador Cattle Co/Bear Ranch) was going to use the Waygu on Baldies and sell the calves to retail suppliers. Here's the results of the litigation:
http://www.denverpost.com/2015/09/09/te ... hi-cattle/