LIC is using artificial breeding technology to cross dairy cows with Wagyu sires to produce export-quality stock for First Light, the commercial producer of grass-fed Wagyu beef.
First Light chief executive Gerard Hickey says there is “global demand for the product, fueled by the growing grass-fed movement”.
“The dairy-Wagyu cross creates a desirable product for export, with more of the marbling for which Wagyu beef is renowned.
“Our experience has shown dairy breeds, including the Kiwicross cow, produce a high quality marbled beef when mated with First Light Wagyu sires.”
Grass-fed beef prices are at the top end of beef prices globally, Hickey says.
“Consumers are willing to pay more for a verified product with the superior eating characteristics, just as they are willing to pay more for organic and grain-fed products.”
An increasing focus on provenance and the traceability of food items satisfies consumer demand for a verified supply chain, the companies say.
LIC’s gene technology verifies the parentage of calves, “providing consumers with transparency from pasture to plate,” says Richard Spelman, LIC biological systems general manager. “It gives farmers and companies confidence that the product they are marketing and selling is what they say it is.”
LIC’s aim is to generate alternative revenue streams for its farmers and provide an alternative to bobby calves, Spelman says.
“In this situation non-replacement calves become a value product for farmers, generating income diversification from calf sales in early spring.”
Waikato farmer Sandra Kraakman, who supplied 63 calves this autumn, says the programme has given her peace of mind.
