WORLD WAGYU CONFERENCE - TEXAS, USA, SEPTEMBER 2023

British Wagyu Association (BWA) Director, Chris Dickinson, attended the World Wagyu Council Conference 24-31 September which was preceded by the American Wagyu Conference held in Texas, USA 22nd-24th.

Over 50 international delegates from a dozen countries attended the World Wagyu Conference & Tour

Chris takes up the story…

I had the great pleasure in September of attending the American Wagyu Association (AmWA) Conference in Texas followed by the World Wagyu Council (WWC) tour where we got to visit different Wagyu businesses in the State. In my role as a Director of the BWA I also sit on the Technical Committee for the WWC and it was great to meet my fellow Council members from around the world and compare thoughts and future goals for the breed.

One of the things I really noticed in the USA is that Wagyu has more notoriety than in the UK. In the restaurants, hotels and bars we visited when we explained we were on the world Wagyu tour they were all aware of what Wagyu beef was, but you would maybe expect that given the fact the United States is the largest consumer of beef and the market is so huge.

The trip kicked off with a four-day conference for the American Wagyu Association welcoming around 500 delegates to the Marriott Hotel, San Antonio. One of my first observations was that there were a lot of producers there with just a handful of cattle and just starting off in the industry - I later learned that the average herd size of an AmWA Member is around 30. It was also clear that many of the producers were new in to farming or even first-time farmers that have been successful in other areas of business.

Chris Dickinson giving the UK’s ‘Country Update’ to the World Wagyu Council Conference

The conference had a great array of trade stands with everything from feed companies to meat businesses to our very own Wyndford Wagyu from the UK. This was a great way to meet people and create contacts. The conference itself was very impressive with speakers from all around the world and even a sale of the best world genetics. The wide range of talks included ‘Premium Perspectives at the Meat Case: Trends and Insights Into Today’s Consumer’ which underlined the fact that we must continue to connect and expand our reach; and that we can’t just expect consumers to come and find us. The message was that consumers will pay for quality even in a tough market.

There was also a great history report from former AmWA Chairman, Pete Eshelman, a fascinating character who gave us all a great insight to how the organisation has grown. A former pitcher for the New York Yankees, this followed with a successful business career which led to tasting Wagyu in one of his restaurants and then a passion for farming it on his own ranch. Pete is also Chairman of the WWC.

The AmWA conference was followed by a five-day trip all around Texas taking in a mixture of tourist activities including Texas A&M college campus, the famous stockyards at Fort Worth and the Alamo and riverwalk in San Antonio. The 50+ delegates also visited a number of Wagyu businesses including genetics companies, meat traders and cattle ranches. On the tour we visited several AI companies who producers supply semen to.

These included Trans Ova Genetics who provide industry-leading reproductive technologies to breeders looking to advance and extend superior genetics. They have forty years of experience, coupled with their commitment to a team approach which they say ensures greater success with the embryo transfer process and has helped them become an industry standard of excellence. There we heard from industry specialists on how Wagyu has helped grow their business and were then treated to some delicious Fullblood wagyu from one of their local customers and then a demonstration of making ice cream using Wagyu fat followed by a discussion on the opportunity presented to make hand creams and other health products. This really opened my eyes to the potential of added value products associated with the strong brand that Wagyu is.

One of the visits that really stood out was Deep Oak Ranch in Cameron, TX when the Tour bus pulled up and experienced a real Texas-styled tailgate. There were A&M tents, seating, and more tailgate themed decorations. After the group enjoyed some charcuterie and a quick drink they were promoted to different stations around the ranch. The stations included a tour and several educational presentations. Deep Oak Ranch operates on a 2,700-acre cattle ranch where they have raised and sold registered and commercial cattle in central Texas for 25+ years with a facility designed to intake, process and ship cattle on a large commercial scale. They also have the unique ability to grow most of their cattle feed on the ranch. While they have not always had Wagyu, they have begun to focus on Wagyu genetics and believe that Wagyu is a tool to complement any ranching operation.

James Thornton (left) MD of Warrendale Farms pictured with Chris

We also visited La Roca Ranch which is owned by Rick Beard & Family with La Roca situated about 30 minutes west of Weatherford, TX. The cattle herds graze on three different properties which total about 10,000 acres – giving them plenty of space to grow and develop to their full potential. The visit included a trailer tour to view some of the pasture cattle, a discussion on the ranch’s system with the owners followed by evening entertainment.

The trip did really give me a real passion to grow our own British Association similar to how the Australians and Americans have done. I also feel the WWC Council can play a key part in growing each country’s market. For example, we should be focusing on bringing together all of the various studies done on the health benefits of Wagyu fat - getting them independently verified into one far reaching study we could all use. As with most things, we are all stronger when we stand and work together collaboratively.

Chris Dickinson, BWA Director E: chris.dickinson@hatchingplans.co.uk