How to Buy Wagyu Beef Cattle

Wagyu cattle produce the world-famous Kobe beef.

Japanese Wagyu cattle produce the legendary Kobe beef, the most expensive and arguably the finest in the world. The highly-marbled beef is at the top of the Prime beef grading chart.

Breeds

There are two main breeds of Wagyu cattle: red and black. The red one is from Kyushu, consisting of two strains: Kochi and Kumamoto. There are four distinct strains of the black breed: Tottori, Tajima, Shimane and Okayama. European breeds imported in the late 1800s were used to develop the Wagyu. Crossbreeding stopped in 1910.

Exports

Purebred Wagyu cattle have been exported to New Zealand, Australia and the United States due to high production costs in Japan. Crossbreeding has resumed in these herds. American Style Kobe Beef is a brand referring to a Wagyu-Angus hybrid favored in America. High Percentage Wagyu are strains crossed with various American breeds including red Angus and white-face Herefords.

Purchasing

Wagyu cattle can be bought as calves and breeding cattle, or as heifers and steers fattened and ready for slaughter. There are many farms and ranches across the United States selling purebred and crossbred Wagyu cattle. Most of them are in Texas, California and Oregon. They can be contacted through the American Wagyu Association website.

References

• American Wagyu Association: Entire Member Directory
• Bay Gourmet: Wagyu/Kobe Beef FAQ