06 March 2024
The Season
As we drift towards the end of summer which was supposed to be long and hot, we are enjoying the benefit of 89mls of rain in January and 79mls in February. This means that we are in the fourth year in a row of great conditions for agriculture in the Southern Tablelands of NSW.
Progress
Our embryo transfer program was a great success. In particular we had a good response using Mr. Awesome semen on a selected number of donor cows. It is too early to give statistics but preg testing suggests a good result. Observing the process is an education, although as our specialist vet says “it is not really a spectator sport”.
We were lucky to be able to clean out at least one dam before some of the heavier rain storms in January.
We had an excellent visit from clients from China who spent a day with us learning about genetic selection and cattle handling procedures in Australia. It was great fun to connect with visitors from far away who are using our cattle extensively in their operations.
The Market
While there has been some recovery in beef prices unfortunately the market for Wagyu F1 cattle remains oversupplied. We continue to look for a premium of 25-30% over the Angus steer price. At the moment the premium is minimal. This premium is required to compensate for the slower growth rate of F1 cattle compared to the Angus product. We expect the premium will re-emerge this calendar year.
KWAF22T0053 is in the Top 1% of the Wagyu Breed for many key EBVs.
Wagyu Edge ’24 Conference 10-12 April Geoff, Steve and I spent three days in Cairns
The Season After a very mild winter, Spring is here. We have had some warm days and
The Season After a dry February, March and April have seen good rain and a green tinge
