What is Maleny Wagyu
Established in 2006, we sold our first Wagyu Beef to the public in 2010; making this farm the oldest “paddock to plate” beef venture on the Sunshine coast. We believe in high quality “farm finished” Wagyu beef produced and sold locally. This model ideally suits small producers who can adapt better to small boutique markets. We are a full member of the Australian Wagyu Association and all of our breeders are registered and DNA typed.
Generally speaking, all Wagyu producers in Australia raise their animals to 18 months of age, after which they are sent to a feedlot for between 350-600 days depending on the target market. Very small producers like ourselves are disadvantaged by our small production capacity, making it difficult financially and practically to be mainstream, so the paddock to plate concept is the only viable option. Although born out of necessity, it turns out that there are several advantages over our feedlot cousins:
- The Devils in the detail. Our Wagyu has traceability and quality assurance. We supply our animals with an "Integrity Profile" in short, the animal ID, kill date, supply date, dry age time, date of birth, grade of Wagyu, feed schedule and full MSA graded carcass report from the abattoir which includes MSA index and ranking. Provenance - knowing the how, when and why makes a difference.
- Different feed regime. If you have ever seen a feedlot, they don’t lend themselves to places I would like to visit- they have an image problem. Our animals are finished on pasture and are supplemented with barley hay and a bit of regular grain. No Feedlot. The farm and the animals pass the “ethically produced” beef test and make for a good photo.
- Consistent quality. It is essential that our beef is reliable for tenderness and flavour. Assessment starts on the farm with paddock grading and regular weighing through to Meat Standards Australia (MSA) carcass grading at the abattoir.
Small farmers are rarely in it for the money (my wife has a full time job, she buys me the beer), but are very passionate about their land and their animals and are about improving both. Ultimately, producing a quality product and sharing it, is reward enough.
What's a Wagyu?
I am often asked how Wagyu differ from other cattle and why they are supposedly better. Well I am no expert, and there is a lot of information on the net, but I can give you my quick take on the subject if you are too busy to research it yourself.
Wagyu are a Japanese breed, remarkable for their ability to marble or finely distribute fat in the meat. This gives the meat a unique taste and texture. The degree of marbling varies widely and is dependent on Wagyu grade, genetics, feed regime and age. It is known as the “Marble Score” and is a number between 1 and 9. Fortunately, the fat in the marbling is monounsaturated, mainly oleic acid (omega 9), and is considered healthy, and has a very low melting point so does not look fatty when cooked.
In Australia, we call any animal with at least 50% Wagyu genetics – Wagyu. In Japan, only animals with 100% Wagyu genetics can be called Wagyu. Most animals in Australia are crossed usually with Angus or Holstein, and this crossbred Wagyu is more than likely the Wagyu you are familiar with from your restaurant/eatery. Fullblood Wagyu (100%) is usually export and high end restaurants. So a first cross Wagyu (50% content) is called an F1, second cross F2 (75%), third cross F3 (87%), and from then on purebred (>92%), and Fullblood (100%- no crossbred genetics). The ability to marble well is not restricted by the grade of animal, but a higher grade is more likely to produce a higher marble score, all things being equal.
The other main differences between Wagyu and other breeds are the feed regimes are much longer, and the animals are considerably older. This is the reason why Wagyu is more expensive, with much higher input costs than all other breeds. Your average Wagyu has seen 500 days at the feedlot, eaten 5 tonnes of grain and will weigh about 700kg.
Being a small producer , I have a different approach to farm Wagyu, maximizing their good points (vastly superior eating qualities and very good market recognition) and minimizing their shortfalls by finishing them on-farm rather than a feedlot.