# Wagyu cattle



## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

Do any of you have them? What can you tell me about them? We have friends who raise them, and DH has been talking to them about us buying a trio. I'm less than excited because I wanted to choose the cattle myself, since I will be tending them.

But he says they are polled and docile, and smaller than Angus, all pluses for me. The ones I looked at online are NOT polled, though.

Being a sixth generation Texan, I'm not sure I can get excited about raising a Japanese breed. And evidently they were bred from Water Buffalo, not exactly a pretty animal.


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## Patrick (Sep 13, 2011)

They are a breed of cattle. Water buffalo are a completely different species, and they can be very attractive. As I understand it, there are very few purebred herds in the US. Make sure that you don't get taken by someone who is claiming something, without any documentation.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Pretty is as pretty does. :angel:

I dont know anyone personally who is raising Wagyu.

I suspect they are a bit of a 'trend' and I have never taken you to be the trendy type. 

What breed were YOU thinking of as an alternative?
I tend to agree that whoever is dealing with the animals should have a say. 
(that is why my DH is not allowed to bring home any puppies!)


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Only seen them in pasture, but they looked plenty big, even compared to angus. And I think GAM has put her finger on it - the profit is in selling to others who want to make a profit (Emu, anyone?) unless you're hooked up with the Japanese market. Even though we're awash in sushi joints in California, they still want their beef to come from Japan from what I've been told by those in the biz in SF. You're sure at the top of the pyramid now though.


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## MO_cows (Aug 14, 2010)

Wagyu's claim to fame is extreme marbling. They are what gives kobe beef in Japan. Photo's I have seen show more veins of fat than meat.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

I cant find it now, but I saw somewhere that the marbling is really more a product of how the animals are raised then anything else.

It seems like a niche market to me. :shrug:
Dont get me wrong, I eat the fat on my steaks and even gnaw the bones some (in private, shh!). :gaptooth: die:
But that kobe beef is not for everyday eating. How could it be? Even if you are rich with not a care in the world how could you justify it?
What about the lesser cuts on those animals? I just dont see it being sustainable to raise cattle on beer and massages.
Heck, those things are wasted on cows, IMO.

If you live in TX, you want cattle that will do well where you are. 
You want animals you can make a profit on, and in this unprecedented market we are in? 
I am just not seeing the trendy wagyu/kobe thing being the easiest option. 
If it were me starting out to cattle right now, I dont think I would bother to get too fancy.
My opinion, for what little it is worth.


PS, we just culled some rundown holstein dairy cows for over 900 bucks each.
(Terminal cows at the end of their usefulness).


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

Read this link 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagyu



I thought of doing this but then i read this link and 3 years in a feed lot not grass will put you in the hole


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

thats what the picture on my link looks like ..... so much marbling it looks pale





MO_cows said:


> Wagyu's claim to fame is extreme marbling. They are what gives kobe beef in Japan. Photo's I have seen show more veins of fat than meat.


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## Gabriel (Dec 2, 2008)

mary said:


> But he says they are polled and docile, and *smaller than Angus*, all pluses for me.


Angus, and any other breed you care to name, are varied in their size. I've seen Angus that looked like small black elephants at 1,800Lbs and I've seen others that look almost like Lowlines. 

As to the Wagyu's, I have no personal experience. However, I'll never buy a breed that's worth a lot more as breeding stock than they are on the plate. YMMV


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## HDRider (Jul 21, 2011)

MO_cows said:


> Wagyu's claim to fame is extreme marbling. They are what gives kobe beef in Japan. Photo's I have seen show more veins of fat than meat.


Supposedly Wagyu also have genes that make them pre-dispositioned for extremely tender meat.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

The beef in that wikipedia link doesn't even look good to me. DH is all about the marbling. I don't like fat. I want my beef to just be beef, with as little fat mixed in as possible.


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## marytx (Dec 4, 2002)

gone-a-milkin said:


> I suspect they are a bit of a 'trend' and I have never taken you to be the trendy type.
> )


You've pegged me right.

I haven't really decided what I want. But as I told DH, beef is beef to me. I want something pretty to look at in the field. And it has to be docile, and preferably polled.

I like red, but am pretty much decided against Hereford because of the possibility of eye cancer in our heat. I like some other red breeds, and I really like the white faces with color around the eyes.

I don't want Angus just because everyone in the area has Angus. I do understand that is what sells best at the Barn.

I really, really like the look of the British Whites. But I probably wouldn't want more than a couple just because I know anything with white on it takes a discount here. And I'm not sure whether the white coats predisposition them to skin cancers. I just don't know.

Honestly, I don't want to raise a "breed." I want to just pick up this and that of what I like.


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## InvalidID (Feb 18, 2011)

The meat from Wagyu is good only if you slice it really thin. That's how the Japanese eat it, sliced very thin and cooked quickly on each side. I had a hunk (American sized) of steak from a Wagyu raised locally and it was like chewing on gristle. Not worth the 3k the folks payed per head for sure.

They are now trying to cross bred all those cattle in hopes of leaning out the meat and making it palatable. It's the only option they had as no one was willing to buy their cattle for what they payed.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Wagyu is the Japanese word for "cow". It is not a breed, but rather is used to refer to all Japanese cattle. Cattle imports have been banned in Japan for a very long time. The cattle of Japan have been isolated and have developed slightly different characteristics.

The Japanese cattle that are raised in the Kobe area are the subject of the talk about Japanese beef. This Kobe beef is specially raised and fed for intense marbling by a few local farmers. The story about giving the cows daily massages and feeding them beer really caught the public's attention.

Kobe beef is sold in some specialty restaurants, which slice it very thin and fry it on hot rocks. The whole meal is an experience, one that you would save up for and enjoy as much for the ritual as for the food.

A while back, Some enterprising Americans bought some of the Japanese cattle and imported them to the US. These are the ancestors of all the Wagyu cattle in the US. As cattle go, they are not all that different from the cattle commonly raised in the US. Without the special treatment that is given them in Japan, including keeping them for years before slaughter, they will not yield extraordinary beef.

Read here for some bare facts about Japanese cattle:

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/cattle/wagyu/


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## ArmyDoc (May 13, 2007)

mary said:


> You've pegged me right.
> 
> I haven't really decided what I want. But as I told DH, beef is beef to me. I want something pretty to look at in the field. And it has to be docile, and preferably polled.
> 
> ...


You might want to take a look at Senepol - they are red breed that has been sellected for heat tollerance. Interesting breed. Of course, Red Angus is the other obviouse choice in a red cow that isn't hereford...


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## farmgirl6 (May 20, 2011)

genebo said:


> Wagyu is the Japanese word for "cow". It is not a breed, but rather is used to refer to all Japanese cattle. Cattle imports have been banned in Japan for a very long time. The cattle of Japan have been isolated and have developed slightly different characteristics.
> 
> The Japanese cattle that are raised in the Kobe area are the subject of the talk about Japanese beef. This Kobe beef is specially raised and fed for intense marbling by a few local farmers. The story about giving the cows daily massages and feeding them beer really caught the public's attention.
> 
> ...


wow, Norman my pet steer drinks beer and gets massages....could never bring myself to eat him tho...


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

I'l bet that in a couple of years Norman will be as fat as one of those Japanese cattle. Norman, the Sumo steer!


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## DWH Farm (Sep 1, 2010)

What about Santa Gertrudis? They are red and were developed in Texas.


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