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AWA DATABASE

Meet the Speakers

Speakers

Dr Matt McDonagh

Australian Wagyu Association CEO

Dr Matt McDonagh has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Wagyu Association since April 2017, bringing an extensive background in red meat science, animal genetics, and R&D management.


Before joining the AWA, Dr McDonagh held significant roles in the agricultural and livestock research sectors. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sheep Industry Innovation and held senior research positions focused on meat quality and genomics at the Victorian Department of Primary Industries and the University of New England. His early career work in meat science concentrated on understanding the biochemical mechanisms of beef tenderness and the optimization of eating quality in the red meat value chain.


Under his leadership at the AWA, Dr McDonagh has leveraged this deep scientific foundation to drive the global expansion and genetic innovation of the Australian Wagyu sector, advancing data-driven systems and modern genomics.

Speakers

Dr Vinzent Boerner

Founder, GHPC CONSULTING AND SERVICES PTY. LTD

Dr. Boerner holds a BSc in Agriculture, a MSc in Animals Science, and PhD in Quantitative Genetics. From 2011 till 2021, Dr. Boerner was working as a Researcher and Associate Professor at the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit(AGBU), University of New England(UNE), Armidale, Australia, where he was the sole designer and developer of the linear model analysis software backing the Australian Beef and Sheep genetic evaluation. He also authored numerous scientific publications and invented two algorithms for marker based parentage verification and breed composition estimation. From 2019 till 2023 Dr. Boerner also held an Associate Professor position at the Center for Quantitative Genetics and Genomics, Aarhus University, Denmark. In 2021 Dr. Boerner founded GHPC CONSULSTING AND SERVICES PTY. LTD. which supports various organisations in the area of genetic evaluation and high performance computing.

Speakers

Dr Christian Duff

Australian Wagyu Association COO

Dr Christian Duff is an applied quantitative geneticist with a lifelong commitment to advancing livestock performance. Appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Australian Wagyu Association in February 2026, he brings deep expertise in genetics, genomics and strategic program delivery. He holds a PhD in beef cattle genetics from the University of New England and has led multidisciplinary teams at Angus Australia and the Agricultural Business Research Institute. Dr Duff has driven major initiatives including genomic selection tools and genetic reference population programs. This is combined with experience working with Wagyu breeders to enhance genetic improvement, sustainability and whole‑of‑supply‑chain outcomes.

Dan Garrick

Daniel Garrick

Founder and CEO Helical

Dan Garrick is the founder of Helical, a genomic data platform developed in Rotorua, New Zealand. With a background in farming and a PhD in aerospace engineering, Dan recognised early that the mathematical methods used in genetic evaluation share strong parallels with those used in aerospace modelling.


He began working on large-scale genetic evaluations in 2017, developing the BOLT software that powers some of the world’s largest international beef cattle evaluations, including those run by International Genetic Solutions and the American Hereford Association.
Through that work Dan saw an industry need for more agile data infrastructure capable of supporting modern genomic pipelines and real-time prediction. Helical was developed in 2021 to meet that need and has since grown to support breed societies and livestock organisations across more than 40 countries.


Dan is passionate about applying systems-level thinking across the livestock value chain and shortening the pathway from cutting-edge research to practical tools used by breeders and producers.

Speakers

Jeremy Cooper

Circle 8 Wagyu

Jeremy with his wife Carmen operate a registered Fullblood wagyu herd in southern NSW over 3 locations.

The herd is run under strict commercial protocols focussing on breeding feeder steers with the value add options of supply breeding bulls into two significant supply chains, and an annual online auction.

Circle8bulls also has semen available to all countries year round.

Speakers

Loren Ruth

Synergy Wagyu

Loren is a 4th generation farmer. He grew up working on the family’s dairy farm and has carried his love for farming and cattle with him throughout life. He went to college for dairy and established a world-renowned Jersey dairy herd in the USA and through a partnership in Australia. Since 2008 his focus has been on Wagyu and developing a sustainable and diversified business. His passion is genetics and cattle breeding where he now applies decades of knowledge from multiple breeds to Wagyu genetics and breeding.

Speakers

Mitchell Ruth

Synergy Wagyu
Mitchell studied dairy science at Cornell University and graduated in 2015. The 1st five years after graduating from college Mitchell managed a dairy herd and the Synergy Wagyu herd. In 2020 he left managing the dairy herd to focus exclusively on Synergy Wagyu and developing the Stonyrun Farms Wagyu branded beef company. Mitchell is passionate about bringing new and cutting-edge agriculture technology to Synergy Wagyu & Stonyrun Farms.
Speakers

Stephen Frisina

La Roca Range Wagyu
After moving to Texas in the early 1970s as a child, I eventually pursued a lifelong dream and passion for ranching and livestock. Although trained as an FAA-certified A&P mechanic, I spent 10 years helping manage a successful lawn maintenance company before entering the ranching industry in 1999. I built and managed elite whitetail deer breeding programs for multiple operations, specializing in AI genetics and herd development. Since 2012, I have served as herd and marketing manager at La Roca Range, helping transition the ranch from deer to cattle production. Today, I focus on Wagyu and Angus cattle, seedstock development, and producing high-quality beef while building lasting industry relationships.
Speakers

Todd Stroud

American Butchery
Todd Stroud is an entrepreneur and innovator whose companies are helping reshape the future of premium livestock production and direct-to-consumer beef marketing. As founder of Hoofstock Genetics, Trinity Biosciences, American Butchery, and Red Marble Beef Co., Todd has focused on building systems that connect advanced animal genetics with profitable real-world market access for producers. In addition to his business ventures, Todd operates a cattle program consisting of approximately 100 head of registered Wagyu cattle and 250 commercial Angus and Wagyu cows, giving him firsthand insight into the opportunities and challenges producers face. He holds a Master’s degree in Veterinary Physiology from Texas A&M University with a primary educational focus in animal reproduction. Todd is passionate about helping producers capture more value through branded beef, processing access, and pasture-to-plate business models.
Speakers

Kevin Griffin

Tejas Premium Meats

Kevin Griffin is an eighth generation Texan who grew up in Midlothian,Texas. He is a partner and General Manager of Tejas Premium Meats,LLC and Wagyu-X Meats. Specializing in Wagyu cattle for more than17 years, Kevin and his business partner opened a beef harvesting facilityin 2018 to address the industry’s lack of traceability and accountability.Today, Tejas Premium Meats operates as a USDA-inspected custom beefharvesting facility with extensive export capabilities. The harvestingfacility is an important piece which allows Wagyu-X to operate a fullyvertically integrated pasture-to-plate model, overseeing genetics,ranching, feeding, harvest, and distribution. Wagyu-X is home to the onlyolive-fed Wagyu program outside Japan.Kevin, his wife Alex, and their four children actively run a cow-calfoperation focused on regenerative practices and innovative cattleprogram development.

IMPORTANT NOTICE - Terms & Conditions

It is a condition of use of this database that you accept these terms and conditions. 

It is important that you appreciate when accessing the Australian Wagyu Association Limited (AWA) database (which may be hosted on an external website) that the information contained on the AWA database, including but not limited to pedigree, DNA information, Wagyu Breeding Values (WBVs) and Index values (together called Database Information), is based on data supplied by AWA members and/or third parties.  

Whilst sincere effort is made to ensure the Database Information is accurate and complete, to the extent permitted by law, AWA, its officers and employees, shall not be responsible for its use or interpretation, and you use the Database Information at your own risk. Please be aware of the following limitations of the Database Information.  

Regarding WBVs and Index values, it is important to appreciate, and you need to be aware that:  

  • WBVs are derived using genetic evaluation technology developed for the AWA, using information contained within the AWA database and parameters derived from it.
  • WBVs are estimates of genetic potential of individual animals and may change with addition of new data or with new parameters.
  • WBVs are genetic merit estimates only and may not reflect the raw animal phenotype.
  • WBVs can only be directly compared to other WBVs calculated in the same AWA genetic analysis.

Regarding pedigree and DNA testing results submitted to the AWA, it is important to appreciate, and you need to be aware that:  

  • Animals whose registration identifiers start with PED are Pedigree Recorded Animals. What this means is that the details which AWA used to register the animal were obtained from a Recognised Wagyu Registry Organisation – in other words a Wagyu breed association based outside of Australia. AWA has not independently verified the information with respect to the animal or the details recorded about the animal. You should read AWA’s by-laws which set out details regarding the definition of a Pedigree Recorded Animal.  
  • Pedigree and DNA data submitted and supplied to AWA may have errors in it which cannot be detected without further DNA testing.  
  • Technology may have advanced since a particular test was undertaken so that genetic issues or inaccuracies which were previously not detectable are now able to be detected by current testing technology (i.e. if the animal was tested again with current technology).  
  • AWA estimates that less than 1% of the pedigree entries, ownership or breeding details in the AWA Herdbook may have errors or which may be misleading. For this reason, users ought to consider if they need to obtain independent testing of the relevant animal (if possible) to ensure that the data is accurate.  

Regarding prefectural content, it is important to appreciate, and you need to be aware that:  

  • Prefectural content is based on the estimation of prefectural origin from Japanese breeding records of 201 foundation sires and 168 foundation dams. As genotype-based parent verification is not used in Japan, and full Japanese registration certificates are not available for all foundation animals, exact prefectural composition for these sires and dams cannot be validated.  
  • The calculation of prefectural content for Australian Herdbook animals relies on the accuracy of pedigree records and DNA samples provided by AWA members.   

Regarding DNA testing and genetic condition results submitted to the AWA, it is important to appreciate, and you need to be aware that:  

  • As genetic testing results are provided by independent DNA testing laboratories at the request of AWA members, AWA relies solely on the accuracy of the reporting of genetic testing as completed by the laboratories.  
  • AWA uses GeneProb software to calculate the likelihood of pedigree animals being a carrier of genetic conditions.  This likelihood is an estimate based on the available genetic testing results.  

If you consider that you do not understand or appreciate the nature and/or implications of the data provided on this website or the WBVs of a particular animal, then AWA strongly recommends that you seek expert advice.  Note there is substantial technical information and articles on the Wagyu website to assist our members. 

AWA’s liability for any loss or damage, consequential or otherwise, suffered or incurred by you or your related business, arising directly or indirectly from your use of Database Information, to the extent permitted by law, is limited to AWA providing you with a refund for the fees paid for the service (if any), or AWA re-performing the service, where possible, at the election of AWA.  

AWA administers this database in good faith to support AWA members and the industry. AWA does not represent or warrant that the animals recorded in this database, or animals breed from them, will achieve any particular genetic or phenotype performance.

THIS DISCLAIMER HAS BEEN UPDATED AS OF 03/02/2026, PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE READ IT IN DETAIL

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