Yesterday morning, we shipped our Wagyu X calves from our first-calf heifers to Snake River Farms in American Falls, Idaho where they will be fed
until offered as American Kobe Beef. We began our program with Snake River Farms several years ago looking for smaller calves for our first-calf heifers while trying to avoid the genetic hangover of low birth weight Angus bulls. We rent the Wagyu bulls from Snake River Farms and contract to sell all our calves to them for a ten cent/lb. premium over market price.
Born small, our Wagyu X calves ship about 100/lbs. lighter than our English calves. This year, the steer calves averaged 568 lbs., our heaviest Wagyu X steer calves to date. In the photo above, Robbin, Clarence and the girls are parting cows from calves to be weighed before loading them on the truck.
drycrikjournal 
So interesting! I’m glad to see they’ll be labeled “American Kobe Beef”, as I’m pretty sure just “Kobe beef” can only come from Japan. We had some Wagyu beef once and it was delicious!
janet
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Right on both counts, Janet. Targeting a high-end market, Snake River Farms’ American Kobe Beef is a delightful diversion for special occasions and friends and is found more and more on restaurant menus. Additionally, Snake River Farms is wonderful outfit to work with!
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Sounds like you are adapting to a rapidly changing market…This, or something similar, is something we all need to investigate if we are to survive economically. But I guess you already know that…Bill
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The cow/calf business has changed dramatically in the last 45 years (when I came on board in 1970), including size, genetics, marketing and vaccination programs, most all of which have been improvements. We tweak our operation a little each year to accommodate the weather and the market, but with the long view of producing quality beef.
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Even your work is poetry . . .
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Well thank you, Peter. Somedays it’s just plain work, but when it stops being fun, when our accomplishments no longer satisfy, we’ll be done.
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Is it true you can identify Kobe style cows by the way they “Wagyu” their tails?
Are Wagyu X and F1 the same thing?
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Wagyu X is shorthand for Wagyu Cross. The F1 cross is the first cross between different breeds, wagging their tails behind them.
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A technical question: “We rent the Wagyu bulls..” Why don’t you AI? Is it unreliable?
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A good question, I think, Bruce. The success rate of artificial insemination under the best circumstances and facilities runs less than 80%. In our rough foothill country, it’s also not practical for us to get the cows into our corrals to breed them. On flatter ground, or especially in dairies, AI makes sense, but out here we rely on the motivation of our good young bulls.
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Thanks for that. I can understand such a motivation!
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Thanks for the info John. Since I’ve been following you I have become a more educated “beef eater”.
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Not everyone can raise their own food, but I think it’s important to know how it gets to our plates.
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