Wagyu President Says Breed’s Future is Bright
When Dr. Sheila Patinkin looked out at the assembled crowd during her President’s Report at the recent American Wagyu Association (AWA) Conference, she saw the largest crowd ever. But she had to lower the microphone to give her remarks.
“Your board was thinking way outside the box when they nominated a 5’ 1” female pediatrician from Vermont as the president of the American Wagyu Association,” she said. “I’m also fairly certain that I’m the first president related to a previous president, my cousin John Markey from Montana, who was president in 2003-2004.”
Then, the convention was held in the Markey’s back yard. “It’s an incredible journey over the past 20 years from the Markey back yard to the JW Marriott in San Antonio,” she said, and it echoes the growth that Wagyu breeders have enjoyed. What’s more, “The Wagyu story is really just beginning in this country,” she said.
“Whether you eat Wagyu beef at a tailgate party, in the loft of a 1790 barn (on her farm in Vermont) or at a 5-Star restaurant, Wagyu offers an unparalleled eating experience. Wagyu is more widely available to consumers at restaurants and supermarkets and you’re probably finding that you do not have to tell them anymore what a Wagyu is.”
To keep the momentum going, the AWA is looking toward the future with additional staff and new programs, she told Wagyu breeders. Earlier in 2023, the association launched a carcass EPD to help breeders improve the quality and consistency of Wagyu beef. “Our carcass data growth is on the rise,” she said. “Since January of 2023, we’ve received more than 7,000 additional records. Our goal for next year is to have 25,000 records.”
AWA is also incorporating live animal ultrasound into its intramuscular fat (IMF) index as a predictor of genetic merit.
Many Wagyu breeders have a direct-to-consumer business model and have their animals processed at small plants. While these plants have a USDA inspector, they may not have a USDA meat grader who assigns quality grades. “Right now, USDA is developing a pilot program for carcasses to be graded remotely,” she told Wagyu breeders. “While the handheld system is being finalized by USDA, you can now grade virtually with your I-phone, believe it or not. Carcass shots can be uploaded to a USDA grader working remotely to receive a USDA quality grade.”
However, Wagyu carcasses often contain more marbling than the USDA Prime grade’s upper limit. So AWA is working with USDA to incorporate higher IMF levels into its grading standards. “While USDA’s grades are not universal, IMF percentages are,” she said. “This percent IMF score will help us relate Wagyu beef to scores around the globe.”
While the breed’s future is bright, there’s a potential speed bump that must be addressed. And that’s the fact that there is no enforceable way for consumers to determine the amount of Wagyu in the beef they buy. That’s important because half-blood Wagyu beef is different from three-quarters, which is different from purebred and fullblood quality.
“Wagyu is used in restaurant, foodservice and retail with no consumer authority. This is compounded by price sensitivity as some are charging premiums without clear authenticity and that always plays out poorly for public opinion,” she said.
“To overcome that and take the Wagyu name back, one of our main goals is to establish a process verified program (PVP) for AWA to increase integrity, authenticity, and traceability and bring additional value to our members,” she said. “We are a consumer-centric breed and Americans love beef. This is the country to tell our story.”
And it’s a great story to tell. “We are a small but mighty breed. We have so much to offer consumers in the way of product quality and we have the opportunity to gain more in 2023 and beyond.”
