When and Why did you start raising Wagyu?

I was at work talking to a co-worker who explained that his father was buying some wagyu embryos & going to implant them in his Angus cows. I asked him what are wagyu, he then explained that they were Japanese cattle. I then researched the breed on the internet. The more I read about the breed the more I liked about wagyu. I liked their docility, calving ease, and highly marbled beef. I called around & found a gentleman in Tyler, TX who sold me a total of 9 heavy bred wagyu cows. Within a week of having them, we began having calves. We began selling wagyu beef in 2014 at local farmers’ markets. In 2015 we were invited to the Pearl farmers market in downtown San Antonio. In the summer of 2020, we began selling at the Grow local farmers market in Corpus Christi, TX. Our beef is also featured at The Dakota Icehouse in San Antonio, TX, with more restaurants in the near future.

Genetic focus

Focusing on higher Tajima & Kamunami genetic lines, utilizing historical known traits of pedigrees, EBV’s & hard carcass data to develop balanced cattle with exceptional & repeatable carcass performance.

Data collection is paramount in our operation. We breed to calve out in tight contemporary groups with no greater than a 45-day window. We collect birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight & mature weights. At 400 days we perform an ultrasound to collect IMF, REA, rib & rump fat. This data is submitted to both associations for EBV’s/ EPD’s. Retained bulls & heifers are kept back, feeders are then sent to the feed yard. When feeders are 600 days old ultrasound is performed again. This data is then compared to the ultrasound data collected at 400 days of age for several reasons. One reason is to make sure the feeder is on track in the finishing process & we make final adjustments in the slaughter timeline. Secondly, it is to better understand the slope or predictability of final carcass data points from the original 400-day scan. We typically slaughter between the ages of 28 & 30 months. Once the animal has been slaughtered we then cut the carcass between the 12th & 13th ribs and take pictures with the master beef carcass camera. This data is then submitted to the associations & we then look at the whole picture from all data collected. We strive to have at least one slaughter animal for every mating we create. This slaughter animal helps prove the genetics we have coupled together. When we can show solid predictability of our genetics then this gives our customers confidence the genetics will do what the data suggests. Our goal is simple: to exhibit the animals’ highest potentials in carcass merits.