The Australian Wagyu Association’s Premium Wagyu Sale, held this month proved once again that top performing Wagyu genetics are highly sought after.
This Sale offered 97 lots of bulls, females, semen, embryos and commercial fullblood cows, some of which are derived from rare bloodlines such as Poll Wagyu Midnight, Itozurdoi and Terutani.
Hosted by AuctionsPlus, the Sale saw enthusiastic bidding across all categories.
Top performer for the bulls was Irongate Itoshigenami which is in the top 15% for marbling and carcase weight and the top 1% for weight gain.
The females did particularly well, with the top cow fetching $15,600 whose pedigree is rare, as she was sired by Kitaitonami.
Her performance to date includes exceptional eye muscle area, rump fat, marble score and fineness. Three other heifers tipped the $14,000 mark all of which show top levels in marble score and fineness.
The much-anticipated sale of semen straws from Midnight M0755 did not disappoint. However, the exceptionally rare semen straw from Itozurdoi (TF151) stole the show with the highest bids reaching $3,000 per straw. Embryos whose bloodline trace back to Midnight also performed well.
“What the results indicate is that there is strong interest in our top genetics within the Premium and Elite Wagyu Sales. These sales lift the bar higher for the very best of Australian Wagyu genetics,” said Australian Wagyu Association CEO, Matt McDonagh.
“Demand for the top performers – those with the top EBVs – will continue to attract interest. Genomic information supporting these top animals is increasing EBV accuracy to allow bidders higher confidence in animals with outstanding EBVs for marble score and fineness, eye muscle area carcase weight and growth.
“Moving forward, the next Premium Wagyu Sale will lift the bar even further to only include those in the top 20% of EBVs for these traits to ensure that there is a regular platform to showcase the very best genetics for the breed.
“It is important for development of our breed that our members continue to share these leading genetics openly so that the industry as a whole can make genetic progress. The market appetite for foundation and modern genetics means that breeders are using the full diversity of genetics available to them.”
-Australian Wagyu Association