enews Official Publication BOARD NWSS RECAP NWSS CHAMPIONS MEXICAN DELEGATION NWSS SALE RESULTS NCBA STR TO SNP JAMES DANEKAS BEEF CATTLEFAX Taste Excellence 208-262-8100 www.wagyu.org
NEW BOARD OFFICERS In the first meeting of the new year your Board of Directors reached into the past to elect Ralph Valdez as our President. Ralph brings a wealth of experience, both in the industry and with the board, as well as a much needed unifying force. Elected for Vice President was Michael Goodell, and Joe Hoye was elected as Treasurer. Board Members Ralph Valdez - President Crescent Harbor Ranch (360) 941-0644 Ralph Lee - Member at Large Lucky Seven Ranch L7 (254) 223-3557 Don Brown - Director Triangle B Ranch, Inc. (940) 577-9400 Michael Goodell - First Vice President / Secretary Muddy Flats Cattle Co. (715) 271-8021 Martin Andersen - Director Thompson River Ranch (406) 858-2284 Tom Moon - Director Spring Hollow Farm (615) 522-7555 Joe Hoye - Second Vice President / Treasurer Imperial Beef LLC (712) 249-2076 Julie Barnes - Director Sutton Creek Cattle Co., LLC (541) 403-2777 Paul Redner - Director Prescott Ranch s LLC (719) 331-6531 EDITOR Paul Redner email pcredner@hotmail.com phone (719)331-6531 PUBLISHER American Wagyu Association Michael Beattie - Executive Director email office@wagyu.org phone (208)262-8100 website www.wagyu.org CONTRIBUTORS Paul Redner, beefcentral.com, James Danekas and Associates, nationalwestern.com, Cattlefax, Furness Funeral Home, Australian Wagyu Association, GRAPHIC DESIGN / ADVERTISING Jon Hayenga - Creative Director email graphics@wagyu.org phone (208)262-8100 Cover Photo - booth at the NCBA show in San Antonio, Texas DISCLAIMER American Wagyu Association, Inc () makes no statements, representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of, any information relating to third party advertising and/or, inquiries made through this medium; and, disclaims all responsibility for information and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages, and costs you may incur as a result of information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way for any reason. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden without prior written permission to the. 2
NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW - RECAP from the editors desk Well another National Western Stock Show has come and gone. There were certainly some mixed messages on this one. As a matter of fact there were so many positives let s get the negatives out of the way first. The big negative was that we really needed more exhibitor s. We need them to show the industry that we are for real, we re not a fly-by-night operation. We re not like Emu, llama, or ostrich breeders, we re Wagyu and we re here to stay. If you looked at our cattle show, it had the lowest number of animals ever shown. This is the wrong direction. We all need to be there next year. From that eminent sage Dennis Kuempel, Get involved or go commodity. Dennis was helping the judges in the ring and did a great job. On the positive side we had people jumping in and really working their butts off. Clydene Bulman, Vicki Moon, and Aaron Crumbaugh were going full speed in the hospitality tent, cooking and serving. They re simply great as were the many other people who helped serve and clean up. The show itself, even with fewer animals, had the greatest number of spectators we ve ever seen. Now is the time to get involved and keep them coming. The second annual Mile High Sale was a spectacular event. We ve reported the results separately ( see page 7 ). Jim Danekas couldn t be in Denver this year, because of health reasons, but daughter Mercedes did an excellent job standing in for her Dad. Mercedes also helped at the show by graciously agreeing to be our announcer. Plan on being at the National Western Stock Show next year and on being a part of our next leap forward. A BIG thank you to all our generous buckle sponsors Stella Restaurant American Wagyu Breeders The hospitality tent was very well received, but at times it did look like we were preaching to the choir as the tent was filled mostly with Wagyu breeders. The meat presentation worked really well, but we do need to reach more people. We ll be working on getting a better location and/or more advertising to the booth for the future. Sutton Creek 3
NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW - THANKS from the editors desk A BIG thank you to all our generous meat sponsors 4
NATIONAL WESTERN STOCK SHOW - CHAMPIONS Denver, CO Champions have been named for the National Western Stock Show Black Fullblood Female Grand Champion: Monarch Farms of Harahan, Louisiana Reserve Champion: Monarch Farms of Harahan, Louisiana Black Fullblood Bull Grand Champion: Monarch Farms of Harahan, Louisiana Reserve Champion: Bob Estrin - Lone Mountain Cattle Company LLC of Golden, New Mexico Percentage Female Grand Champion: Quentin Emerson - Emerson Cattle of Owensville, Indiana Reserve Champion: Quentin Emerson - Emerson Cattle of Owensville, Indiana Red Fullblood Female Grand Champion: Garth Monroe - Idaho Wagyu Genetics of Soda Springs, Idaho Black Purebred Female Grand Champion: Emma Farms Cattle of Basalt, Colorado Reserve Champion: Emma Farms Cattle of Basalt, Colorado Red/Black Fullblood Bull Grand Champion: Garth Monroe - Idaho Wagyu Genetics of Soda Springs, Idaho NEXT BOARD MEETING IN COEUR D ALENE The next BOD meeting will be at the office on March 3. As it will be an in-person meeting we would like to make this opportunity available for any member to meet the Board and address any comments or suggestions. This opportunity will be structured so you can attend the Board meeting between 1-3pm on Tuesday March 3. If unable to attend please feel free to write or there will be other opportunities to attend a BOD meeting in the future. Please inform the office if you would like to attend so we can schedule your pending visit and also need to know for catering purposes. Thank you, from your Board of Directors 5
MEXICAN DELEGATION VISITS THE WAGYU SHOW from the editors desk Wow!! is wagyu ever for real. The former President of Mexico visited the Wagyu show in Denver and met with members of the American Wagyu Association. It turns out that the President is a long time fan of the Wagyu breed and has a herd in central Mexico. He was seeking advice on improving performance, and benefited from the experience of some of our more experienced Wagyu breeders and feeders. The Association will continue to develop this situation. FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION from the editors desk Photo courtesy of Ralph Valdez We heard a comment that said essentially we had too much information from Australia in the newsletter We ve been aware that a lot of material comes out of Australia and we have attempted to keep things in proportion. We should point out however that the Australian Wagyu market is developed to a higher degree than is ours, and along with that development they have garnered a lot of data. In a related note we have now surpassed Australia in the number of animals in the program. Outside of Japan the U.S. now has the largest Wagyu herd in the world. Of course our numbers are spread over a population that is roughly fifteen times as big as Australia s which may account for their ability to collect and consolidate information. 6
NWSS SALE RESULTS Mile High Wagyu Experience Sale 1-21-15; Denver, CO 4 Bulls Avg. $9,563 6 Females Avg. $12,875 2 Matings Avg. $6,875 35 Embryos Avg. $936 200 Units of Semen Avg. $385 Auctioneer: Butch Booker, Colfax, WA Sale Sponsored and Managed by James Danekas and Associates, Inc. Wagyu World represented by Mercedes Danekas-Lohse Top Females: Lot 8, MCH MS 0539-1/2 A016, 3-2-13 by TF Itomichi ½; Monarch Farms, Franklinton, LA & Emerson Cattle Co, Owensville, IN; $27,500 to Rod Smith, Sulphur, LA. Lot 9, MFC MS Mitsufuku 437B, 4-20-14 by TBR Mitsufuku 9028W; Muddy Flats Cattle Co., Augusta, WI $12,000 to Foxstand Farm, New London, NH. Lot 10, MFC MS Itomoritaka 446B, 5-27-14 by MFC Itomoritaka 0-41; Muddy Flats Cattle Co., Augusta, WI; $11,750 to Foxstand Farm, New London, NH. Lot 5, WSI Michihira, 6-20-10 by Hirashigeharu; Wagyu Sekai, Puslinch, ON, Canada; $11,000 to Virginia Wagyu, Alta Vista, VA. Lot 11, LMR RMW Itomoritaka X Dow Ranches 827 Heifer Calf, 9-15; Dow Ranches, Prineville, OR, $8,000 to David Whitehead, Kennewick, WA. Top Bulls: Lot 1, LMR Itomoritaka 2381Z, 8-21-12 by Itomoritaka J2703; Lone Mountain Cattle Co., Golden, NM; $18,000 to Thomas Teague, Winston-Salem, NC. Lot 4, Pick out of 13 RFI Tested Bulls, by Bar R Nakagishiro 56T; Bar R Cattle Co., Pullman, WA; $9,000 to Southern Cattle Co., Dothan, AL. Top Percentage Female: Lot 30, ECC Lady 2E10, 10-1-12 by LMR Yo Jimbo; Emerson Cattle Co., Owensville, IN, $5,000 to Gypsum Valley Wagyu, Salina, KS. 7
NCBA - SAN ANTONIO from the editors desk Vitamin Supplements and everything in between, and of course Wagyu Cattle. The National Cattlemen s Beef Associations annual meeting was held this year from Feb. 4th through the 7th at the Henry B. Gonzales convention center in San Antonio. Indeed it was a monumental affair. Starting with a record attendance of 8,200 the show got off on the right foot with the increasingly popular Cattlemen s College that annually looks into different aspects of our business. As usual it was sold out and why wouldn t it be with speakers like RFD Networks, Max Armstrong, speaking on Why it s a great time to be in the beef business, and Chef Mike Erickson speaking on True Beef. Breakout sessions covered Grass finished vs. traditional, reproductive strategies, exports, etc. It was a most complete event. Your American Wagyu Association was well represented with a booth pushing first calf heifer bulls. This focus was seen as an effective means to introduce ourselves to the many commercial cattlemen who were in attendance and are always looking to maximize their heifers while not causing them any undo stress. We managed to talk to a bunch of them. Joining me, Paul Redner, in the booth representing the, was Michael Beattie, Dennis Kuempel, Jim Long, Weldon Mahan, and Larry Tebbens. Our thanks go out to them. There were other members in attendance and frankly it was a surprise to see how few. After a year like 2014 I would ve expected to see more, this event was a great aid in learning the ins and outs of the business. Next year the NCBA be in San Diego and hope to see more of you there. Following the Cattlemen s College program the general session featured a myriad of topics kicked off by Bret Baier, FOX News Channel chief political anchor who gave us a look at The Obama Administration and politics in America. The trade show, which is no doubt the biggest in the industry, featured everything from Tractors to 8
STR TO SNP As we all know the DNA business is growing and changing on an almost daily basis. One of the recent changes, which affected us all, was the change from STR to SNP. SNP is a huge leap forward in genetic profiling and should serve us well for quite some time. The has been changing all the animals in the program and of course the ones coming in to the SNP profile. Most of you knew this as you have been absorbing the costs. The board estimated the remaining number of active sires & dams without SNP profiles and reviewed our financial position. They ve decided that the will SNP profile any sires or dams needed for parent verification of your offspring at no extra charge. This is a limited time offer as we would really like to get all the active sires & dams documented by STR converted to SNP. Remember When pulling hair for DNA samples, it is the hair follicles that are needed for the DNA markers. It s advisable to pull enough hair with follicles to be about a pencil width in diameter. Also it has been suggested that on young calves, less than 6 months of age, a blood sample may be more successful. Collect Thick Coarse Tail Hair from here ADVERTISING We ve got a little money that we could use for advertising. As we opened the subject at the board meeting, we immediately had nine different ideas (there are nine people on the board). With this is mind we d still like to get a little input as to what you think would be an effective advertising program. I think the more detail the better. Is the web the future of advertising? If so how to approach it.. Web, Facebook etc? Do we just do print? If so what journals? What direction? Selling bulls for first calf heifers? Bringing In new breeders? Or what? Now I know somebody out there in Wagyu land knows something about advertising. I know there s a lot of people who think they know something about advertising, so maybe we ll get lucky. Seriously if you have some ideas on the matter and would like us to know get them to Michael, I know he d appreciate them. 9
AUSTRALIAN WORLD MEET 10
AUSTRALIAN WORLD MEET (continued) For the last little bit you ve been hearing about the very exciting World Wagyu conference to be held in Australian in May. A promotional brochure from The Australian Wagyu Association is a part of this newsletter, and I wanted to take just a moment to talk a little bit more about this very exciting event. Actually this meeting is a series of events. Starting with Beef, an industry introspective in which the Australian Wagyu association will have a presence, followed by detailed Wagyu conference and the annual Australian Wagyu meeting and then the opportunity to tour the outback and several wagyu facilities in a very exciting country with a rich history, that we all should take the opportunity to visit. Plus you can make some business connections that can serve you well in your wagyu career. Remember where most of the original export from Japan ended up. You ll be able to look at genetic combinations that you haven t seen and assemble a mass of data that frankly isn t available in the states. This is really a great opportunity. Don t miss it. WAGYU CATTLE BUYER A Bar N Ranch contact Cade Nichols 972-978-9296 A to Z Feeders contact Jim Skartvedt 712-243-4515 Agri Beef contact Office 208-338-2500 Imperial Wagyu Beef contact Lawrence Adams 402-426-8512 Jackman Florida Wagyu Beef contact Mark Hoegh 903-910-9121 $$$ Mishima Reserve Wagyu Beef contact Shane Lindsay 208-941-3793 Morris Stock Farm contact Joe Morris 806-922-5274 * If anyone else is in the market for stocker calves, feeder calves or fats just send us an e-mail with your contact information and we ll post you to our buyers list. * 11
IN MEMORIAM James Albert Danekas Born: August 4, 1947 Place of Birth: Watertown, SD USA James A. Danekas, age 67, Wilton, CA, formerly of Raymond, died peacefully in the Sutter Memorial Hospital late Monday night, February 9, in Sacramento from complications due to heart surgery. Services will be held on in South Dakota Friday, February 20, at 11:00 AM in the Furness Funeral Home Chapel at Clark. Greg Furness will be the funeral facilitator with Mercedes Danekas-Lohse giving the eulogy. Casketbearers will be Steve & Gene Danekas, Gary Leis, Matt Lohse, Peter Koelsch and Butch Booker. Burial with full military rites following in the Prairie Valley Cemetery at Raymond. Jim was well known in the Angus cattle business in the Western United States for many years. James Danekas & Associates has been publishing livestock publications for over 35 years and has the experience in the agriculture arena to assure all Wagyu breeders of a first-class magazine that will represent the breed in a superior manner. Excellence is the benchmark that we strive to attain and the material you will read and enjoy in each and every issue will reflect this ideal. The Wagyu World is being presented by individuals who believe in the Wagyu breed and the prodigious future that is ahead. The Premier Issue of Wagyu World made its debut at the 2014 Wagyu Annual Conference. Funeral arrangements will be announced by the Furness Funeral Home at Clark where there is an on-line registry at www.furnessfuneralhome.com BEEF AS RALLYING-POINT Global Wagyu producers will use Beef as rallying-point By Jon Condon, 16 January Wagyu cattle producers, lotfeeders, processors and brand managers from across the world will use the Beef event as a rallying-point, as they gather for their five-yearly International Wagyu Conference in May. http://www.beefcentral.com/features/beef-/global-wagyu-producers-will-use-beef--as-rallying-point/ 12
MISSOURI WAGYU EVENT Come for the convention... stay for a vacation. A Wagyu Event June 6th Springfield, Missouri Bass Pro Shop Headquarters Only 30 minutes from the world famous music city, Branson! Join Fellow Wagyu Breeders for this exciting event. Industry Speakers Include: JDA, Inc Management & Promotion Sexing Technologies Imperial Beef and many more Make Your Plans to Attend this 2nd Annual Event Sponsored & Hosted By: Contact Mike Kerby for more information: 660.221.9225 13
FEB 13, Feeder Cattle Price 13-Feb- West & Northwest Central Southeast wts 9-10 8-9 7-8 6-7 5-6 4-5 8-9 7-8 6-7 5-6 4-5 util cn/cut bulls WA/OR CO MT/WY CA NV/UT AZ/NM /ID TX KS/MO ND/SD NE OK IA AL AR FL GA LA/MS KY/TN STEER 184-189 182-190 178-183 176-182 174-182 174-182 192-197 190-198 189-194 187-193 182-193 185-193 203-209 201-210 201-207 198-206 193-206 196-205 235-244 233-245 231-240 226-239 225-238 224-236 270-281 268-282 267-278 264-277 260-276 262-276 297-309 295-310 308-320 302-319 287-318 299-315 HEIFER 184-189 182-190 178-184 177-183 174-183 175-183 196-202 194-203 192-198 191-197 186-197 189-198 222-231 220-232 211-220 208-219 209-221 206-218 238-249 236-250 244-255 240-254 228-253 238-252 267-279 265-280 270-282 267-281 257-280 265-280 COWS 101-111 96-115 101-109 99-107 96-107 97-109 95-105 91-107 92-100 91-102 85-98 87-100 126-136 115-130 112-125 110-123 110-126 110-128 wts 9-10 8-9 7-8 6-7 5-6 4-5 8-9 7-8 6-7 5-6 4-5 util cn/cut bulls STEER 182-186 182-191 184-189 180-185 181-185 179-184 195-199 197-202 200-205 199-204 193-197 200-205 207-212 211-220 216-222 222-228 212-217 219-225 230-237 237-250 241-250 241-250 238-245 240-249 261-271 269-285 269-280 268-279 269-279 264-275 290-302 291-310 298-310 298-310 308-320 298-310 HEIFER 178-182 182-188 183-188 184-189 182-186 185-190 189-194 188-200 196-202 195-201 190-195 193-199 205-212 210-222 218-227 218-227 213-220 217-226 224-234 230-240 237-248 228-239 228-238 224-235 263-275 257-270 258-270 253-265 260-272 253-265 COWS 108-113 103-112 101-111 100-110 113-120 103-113 100-110 96-108 97-107 94-104 103-108 96-106 125-135 129-140 119-129 120-130 132-139 121-131 wts 9-10 8-9 7-8 6-7 5-6 4-5 8-9 7-8 6-7 5-6 4-5 util cn/cut bulls STEER 174-178 181-185 170-174 174-178 174-178 178-182 186-190 193-197 178-182 182-186 186-190 190-194 201-206 209-214 197-202 201-206 201-206 203-208 223-230 236-243 220-227 223-230 223-230 225-232 265-275 267-277 252-262 254-264 265-275 255-265 306-318 293-305 304-316 305-317 298-310 273-285 HEIFER 177-181 180-184 173-177 177-181 180-184 180-184 185-190 191-196 179-184 183-188 190-195 193-198 203-210 208-215 197-204 200-207 213-220 210-217 225-235 227-237 218-228 220-230 235-245 220-230 259-271 258-270 253-265 254-266 268-280 240-252 COWS 113-120 102-110 112-119 113-120 103-113 99-106 106-111 100-108 109-116 110-117 99-107 93-99 129-135 130-138 134-141 135-142 130-140 125-132 West Feeder cattle prices were mostly $1 to $3 lower. Calf prices were steady to $5 lower. Cow prices were mostly steady. Chad Spearman Central Feeder cattle prices were mostly steady to $3 higher for the week. Calves were mostly steady to instances of $5 higher. Market cows were $2 to $5 higher. Troy Applehans Southeast Feeder cattle prices ranged from steady to as much as $8 higher for the week. Calf prices ranged from steady to $5 higher. Market cows were mainly $2 to $4 higher. Troy Applehans DON T FORGET... DATES TO REMEMBER Board Meeting - Coeur d Alene, ID March 3 Houston Livestock Show March 11 Early bird Registration Deadline March 30 ( International Wagyu Conference ) STEAKS ARE HIGH SALE April 11 Texas Wagyu Association International Wagyu Conference May 8-10 ( Australia ) MORE GOOD NEWS Effective March 1st your registration fees have been changed DOWNWARD!! Cost for registration has been decreased to $60 - Fullblood $30 - Purebreds 14 PASSION FOR PRIME June 6 Wagyu workshop - Springfield, MO