Unlocking The Potential of An Authentic Wagyu Program

By Jessica Graham

One of the best things about the American Cattlemen Podcast is our ability to bring you the latest information in the cattle industry. We are constantly bringing you ways to grow, diversify, and specialize your farms and ranches. We know this economy is tough on everyone and that is why we have a special series being released right now you will particularly enjoy. In our wagyu-focused mini-series, we cover information about a quickly growing breed, and we pair it with advice on how you can incorporate wagyu in your operation.

In the episode titled: “American Cattlemen’s Podcast with Ginette Gottswiller & Dr. Keith Belk as we Kick Off Our American Wagyu Conference Series”, we kick off our deep dive into the wagyu breed”, we kick off our coverage of the wagyu breed. Is this a good fit for your operation? Give the series a listen and ponder if you should have high-end wagyu genetics.

This flagship episode takes place at the American Wagyu Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. We had the pleasure to connect with special guests Ginette Gottswiller and Dr. Keith Belk. Jeanette lives in northwest Missouri and operates an agricultural consulting and marketing company and assists her family on their diversified cattle and crop operation. Dr Keith Belk serves as professor at Colorado State University, and is an adjunct professor in the Colorado School of Public Health.

What is An Authentic Wagyu Program?
Both Gottswiller and Belk have previous work experience in the cattle industry that they outline. That experience has honed their skills and driven them to be instrumental in developing An Authentic Wagyu Program. Gottswiller goes on to outline what the program entails, “The authentic wagyu program will be written to have a source and age verification component along with parent verification, and that will be through the AWA [American Wagyu Association] heard book as well as DNA parent verification. Additionally, there will be remote grading a USDA. And it does not have to be remote grading, I’ll say a USDA grader. We realize that many of the producers are going through a local processing plant. So remote grading is what is very key to this, to make this accessible to all the farmers and ranchers that want to participate. And then that final piece is a trace back program.”

Gottswiller explains the importance of the program and why tracking is important, “Consumers could, if they’re in The Authentic Wagyu Program, trace back by DNA technology to that original animal that was brought in for harvest. So those are, are the components of what The Authentic Wagyu Program will be in the beginning. There are many points that you can add to a process verified program, and so these are those beginning points that that we felt were the most important to verify in the beginning”.

The Growing Demand for Wagyu
Dr. Belk echoes the vision outlined by Gottswiller. He goes on to speak about the benefits and the demands from the consumers, “[The program] ties together the production of true wagyu genetics and beef products with the quality attributes that wagyu are known for and that consumers demand when they when they pay for wagyu products. That’s something that is going to benefit the entire industry.”

Dr. Belk goes on to outline the importance of The American Wagyu Association’s Authentic Wagyu Program. He states, “This program is based on third party evaluation of whether the programs in place are meeting the standards that the organization has put together.” So, a third party audits the program to ensure consumer confidence. This way consumers know the labeling is correct, and they are buying wagyu beef. He goes on to elaborate, “This adds credibility to a system into a label that helps consumers be make purchasing decisions in a more informed way. I’m really excited about [The American Wagyu Association] rolling out this program and protecting the breed integrity by doing it.”

As always, we’re excited to be able to deliver the latest information on a growing breed right to your home. You can listen to this podcast, as well as past podcasts at: www.americancattlemen.com/podcasts.