Morgan Beef

Omdat baie van ons telers se diere by Morgan is, besoek die kantoor Morgan om op ‘n gereelde basis te sorg dat die voerkraal aan die CWB protokol voldoen. Ons gee as volg terugvoer:

  • Genootskap oorplaaitjie (RFID) nou 100% in werking. Die kantoor het dit self getoets. Morgan gebruik die nuwe Gigalot sagteware wat beide die genootskap oorplaaitjie asook hulle eie “High Frequency” oorplaaitjie (voerkraal vriendelik vir hoë volume diere) kan hanteer.
  • Morgan sal slegs diere aanvaar wat deel is van die CWB protokol.
  • Morgan sal geensins diere toelaat wat nie aan die protokol voldoen nie. U diere sal nie afgelaai word nie;
  • Slegs osse wat voor 5 maande gekastreer is asook verse sal aanvaar word.
    • Indien nie korrek gekastreer, sal Morgan ‘n veearts kry om die dier te kastreer op die boer se koste (insluitend arbeid);
  • Ten minste 30 diere vanaf ‘n boer om ‘n kraal van 50-60 diere op te maak (moet dus bereid wees om met ander boere ‘n kraal te deel) sal aanvaar word;.
  • By aankoms sal ‘n intree gewig geneem word. Wagyu staan gewoonlik tussen ‘n jaar of twee in die voerkraal. Morgan Beef sal dus ten minste elke 3 maande ‘n gewig aan die teler verskaf en op versoek van die teler, maandeliks weeg sodra die diere slaggereed word;
  • Morgan sal daarna sorg dat alle diere die nodige protokol volg tot by slaggewig.

Base/Commercial cows

The Wagyu charges you only a once-off fee for the base (commercial) cows for your F1 heifers upgrading to seedstock/stud (a standard practice in many of the societies in the stud industry). If the heifers are to be used for slaughter, they should be moved to the CWB register (no fee is charged). You must please let the office know the heifer calves that are not to be used for stud.

CWB voerkrale wat Wagyu voer

Die protokol wat op die plaas moet gebeur voordat diere na ‘n voerkraal gestuur word:

  • Bulle moet verkieslik voor ‘n ouderdom van 3 maande gekastreer wees en beslis voor 5 maande.
  • Daar moet reeds ‘n geboorte asook ‘n speengewig op die plaas geneem wees en daar moet ten minste teen 0.6 kg per GDT oor die periode groei wees.
  • Diere moet ‘n CWB oorplaatjie in die oor hê. Formaat van bestuurs oorplaatjie moet wees kudde kenmerk/jaar/nommer. Let wel, die kudde kenmerk ontbreek by sommige kuddes wat dit baie moeilik vir die voerkraal maak om u diere te identifiseer.
  • DNA moet geverifieer wees.
  • Diere moet op die databasis wees voordat hulle by die voerkraal aankom
    • ‘n Registrasie vorm asook beweging (transfer) vorm moet aan die kantoor verskaf word voor diere geskuif word vir naspeurbaarheid.
  • Voerkraal sal vereis dat u beide die CWB lidmaatskap asook CPG oudit sertifikaat verskaf.

DNA SNP profiles

We have had a good response from members taking up our offer of subsided SNP tests for Purebred and fullblood cattle. Ideally we should be SNP’ing the F1 progeny for their carcass data but realize that this might be prohibitively expensive. The offer to members to move to SNP’s for the purebreds and fullbloods, where the Wagyu Society committed R100 000 as a subsidy for one out each five tests, on a first come first serve basis has been changed to a maximum of 25 tests per producer.

SNP based DNA will give Wagyu producers in South Africa the opportunity to genotype animals that will enable easier identification of parentage, more accurate performance recording, better detection of genetic conditions as well as more accurate linkages through genetic relationships rather than just pedigrees.

Selection Indexes

Our producers now receive monthly genetic evaluations that covers both growth and carcass traits. We now have the following records being analysed:

Birth Weight: 16425

200 day weight: 21216

400 day weight: 15059

600 day weight: 15081

Mature weight: 1979

Carcass weight: 4361

Carcass Eye muscle 2694

Carcass IMF (marbling) 5367

 

Estimated Breeding Values – EBV’s (the gold standard for selection) are being produced for all these traits. However, the ultimate goal is to put the appropriate weighting on these traits to produce an “Overall EBV’ to target a specific production environment. WSA is working with ABRI-BREEDPLAN to produce a “Selection Index” targeting two production systems i.e.

  • a terminal production system for the production of F1 calves and
  • a self-replacing Index for the Stud-Seedstock producer to produce replacement heifers and still put emphasis on high marbling bulls with good rib-eye’s.

 

The breed improvement committee, with input from leading producers, are also examining different feeding regimes for different ages for example 300, 350 and 400 days on feed for F1 production, and to examine if bulls will rank differently. Results will be shared with members before being finalised. A questionnaire for producers will also be circulated.

Feed Efficiency Test Opportunity

  • Feed remains a critical component in the production costs of your Wagyu enterprise.
  • The Breed Improvement Committee recognises this and has set as an objective to have feed efficiency included as an EBV and yet to be developed Selection Index.
  • The Sernick test facility is fully booked until the end of the year. The ZimMeyer facility outside Lindley has implemented a state of the art Growsafe facility.
  • The facility can accommodate 48 bulls from the 10th May and another the 29th

Requirements

  • Animals should be between 210-700 days of age when entering the test.
  • Animals MUST be in a contemporary group i.e. it is recommended to have a minimum of five progeny per sire in a group, and at least two sires represented in each group. The group must be born within a 60 day period.
  • The test is run over a 90 day period and
  • Groups will be penned together at the station.

Cost

A standard feedlot diet will be used. The cost will be the feed cost and a R1000 management fee.

Please let myself or Elandri know if you are keen to participate in the test.

Wagyu staff back in the old office

After a year of working from home, the staff have moved back into the original office in Bloemfontein.

A reminder that all DNA hair and Tissue samples to be sent to:  PostNet Suite 12, Private Bag X7003, Langenhoven Park, 9301.

We are ever mindful that we have a huge responsibility to our members to keep proper record of: your membership, animal and performance details. The DNA databank has grown significantly over the past two years and we know store over 20 000 DNA samples.

CPG CWB farm and value chain audits

In my view it’s to ensure that the consumer is assured that the product being consumed is authentic, has a quality standard and the integrity of product is unquestionable. To be successful as producers we need to ensure that this high value product meets certain standards. Through CWB, we can make the following claims: The product is Wagyu (as per the breed definition), the animals are ethically and humanely treated as per ISO 22 000, and that the consumers are assured that every sector of the value chain is certified to produce a product that meets the highest of eating quality expectations. We acknowledge that the Certification process is onerous to the value chain but it is only through this effort that CWB is allowed to officially make the claim: “Experience Authentic, Juicy and Tender South African Certified Wagyu Beef”. We are only allowed to make this claim because we could produce evidence, in conjunction with the Meat Science department of the University of the Free State, that produced the scientific evidence.

According to our certification rules, the requirements for CWB are that the carcass has a minimum marble Score of 4 for export, a marbling score of 3 for primal in South Africa and a marble score of 1 and-2 to be graded as ground (for example hamburger) beef. All Wagyu beef is hormone free and males are castrated prior to 5 months of age. The authenticity of the program is further reinforced in that all product in South Africa is objectively graded using carcass cameras at all points of slaughter.

We have also contracted CPG (Thea Laufs) to conduct our audits. We have taken the lead to implement a program that is cost effective but will ensure integrity in the supply chain. The audit for example requires that the value chain is audited at pre-defined frequencies. The producer audit ensures that amongst others animals are tagged, a DNA sample is collected and that parentage, to Sire is verified. Animal movements are tracked throughout the value chain to ensure traceability.

If you suspect somebody is selling Wagyu, without a protocol such as CWB, you are welcome to phone the hotline number 064 787 6264.

Francois Loods (CWB Chairman)

The difference between a Stud/Seedstock & CWB/slaughter register?

The Society conducts its business as all other Societies in South Africa. Animals are recorded in the Stud Registry; producers pay a joining fee and an annual fee and a fee per cow. Each animal in this registry receives a Certificate that is available on request from the office. The grading up system for heifers is well known and starts with a F1 cross, F2, F3, Purebred and Fullblood. This is known as a Stud Registry, and is similar to all other breed registries in South Africa, except that the Society runs a cross-bred genetic evaluation to accommodate Akaushi and Japanese black. The Certified Wagyu Beef slaughter registry is different and only records slaughter cattle (mainly oxen). Its fee structure is also completely different to the WSA registry and includes a fee for DNA testing, use of the camera etc. Though you may wish to record your commercial female animals in this registry, it does not keep record of F1, F2 and F3 animals and does not have a grading up system in place.