Prime_Time_Fall_2019

Cattle Tales Kaci Carrales | Executive Director | kcarrales@akaushi.com EXECUT I VE DIRECTOR’ S MESSAGE W ow! Twenty-five years ago, the American Akaushi

ticality reigned. Cattle were bred to be moder- ate framed, have more shape and depth in their rib design and be more structurally functional. But most important, the trend was to bring back better-tasting, tender, more palatable beef. It was then that premium branded beef pro- grams really took off. In 1976, four Wagyu bulls were the first to be imported to the United States. Mazda and Mt. Fuji were black, and Judo and Rueshaw were red. The next big shipment out of Japan was in 1994 and included the American Akaushi foundation breeding nucleus. With only a small breeding battery of Akaushi cattle, all breeding decisions were very strategic to make sure the inbreeding coefficient remained low. Embryo transfer played a huge part in growing the Akaushi breed. The ability to use the imported bulls Shigemaru, Tamamaru and Hikari as a basic, three-breed rotation on import females really opened up some diversity within the breed. Today, that same concept is still used with the ability to add Big Al, as well. The past 25 years have been a tough sell for the Akaushi breed. In general, Wagyu cattle don’t have that ideal phenotype compared to the traditional cattle we are used to seeing. Trying to sell to a rancher is probably one of the hard- est things to do since we tend to be very tradi- tional and don’t accept change easily. I am confident that all ranchers have one common goal: to produce productive and ef- ficient cattle. Thanks to the accessibility of Akaushi genetics, cow herds across the coun- try and around the world are able to set the stage to show this industry how productive and efficient these progeny can be, not only at the ranch level, but at feedyards and on the rail. When the American Akaushi Association (AAA) started in 2009, the vision was to pro- mote the Akaushi breed, as well as maintain and verify the breed’s purity, and monitor offspring performance and the quality of the final retail product. Having mandatory DNA parent verification on every AAA-registered animal brings integrity to the breed by ensur- ing Akaushi buyers can purchase with confi- dence. It also makes beef customers demand our product more when they realize they are buying what it says they are buying. We take

foundation breeding nucleus was arriving in the United States from Japan. Where were you 25 years ago? I was in third grade enjoying be- ing a kid and was just get- ting my feet wet in agricul- ture through 4-H.

Twenty-five years ago what were some of your goals to improve your cattle? Do you re- member any of the past trends related to cattle or the beef industry? Do you enjoy looking back through history and seeing changes in phenotype and genetics? Let’s take a little trip back to when the first cattle breeds came to America. Spanish settlers were among the first to bring what they call “Spanish cattle” to Florida in the mid-1500s. In 1690, the first herd of Longhorns inhabited Texas, which paved the way for the American cowboy. These cattle were very hardy, surviv- ing in some of the toughest environments, and were marketed for hides, tallow and meat. In 1783, the Shorthorn breed arrived in Virginia and was used as a dual-purpose meat and milk breed. The first Hereford cattle came to the Midwest in 1817, and Angus cattle were intro- duced in 1873. At that time, Angus bulls were mainly crossed with Texas Longhorns, result- ing in calves that performed better, especially during the winter. As time went on and more British-influenced cattle were imported, there was little to no change in performance and phenotype. We can all remember looking back at the fat cattle shows held in the Chicago Union Stockyards and seeing how early maturing, quick-patterned and fat the cattle were. Change was needed to increase growth, performance and cutability. That’s where the introduction of European cattle came into play during the late 1960s and early 1970s. These cattle were known for growth, muscle and leanness, and became extremely popular, especially in the show ring. But that trend shifted the beef herd to opposite extreme. Now cattle were too big, unprothe ductive – especially the females – and lacked marbling potential. It seems by the 2000s, the trend shifted again. This time, prac-

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