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Wagyu Progeny Test Program

2021 - 2031

Importance of the AWA-PTP

The 2021-2031 AWA Progeny Test Program (AWA-PTP) will leverage the existing highly successful Wagyu BREEDPLAN genetic analysis through testing progeny from the maximum number of emerging industry sires forhigh value Wagyu sector traits. The AWA-PTP will also develop new Wagyu-specific traits for reproduction, structure, carcase and eating quality.

The AWA Progeny Test Program aims to join around 2,000 females yearly to 40 different sires. To make this happen, AWA Members need to nominate their sires and/or herds to be involved in the program. To request a call back from the PTP team, click below, or continue scrolling to learn more or nominate your sire for testing in the next cohort.

REQUEST A CALL BACK

Cohort 3 Sires

Nominations for Cohort 3 Sires closed in February 2023, with 25 sires being accepted into the program. Joining’s for this cohort will commence in October on 1,500 cows across 6 contributor herds. Data is expected to enter Wagyu BREEDPLAN from July 2024 as calves hit the ground.

Sire ID Sire Name Sire Type Herd Member ID Member Type
3DWFS0041 3D GENETICS S0041 (AI) Link 3D GENETICS 3DW Domestic
ADBFN0268 MAYURA NITRO Link KILDRUMMIE SDG Domestic
ADBFS2583 MAYURA SAMURAI S2583 (AI) (ET) Link WRIGHT PASTORAL WRP Domestic
BPGFS0054 EKOVALE S0054 (ET) Standard EKOVALE BPG Domestic
DSWFN4451 TYDDEWI N4451 (ET) Link HIDDEN VALLEY WAGYU JDS Domestic
GINFS650 GINJO HIRAMICHI S650 Link GINJO GIN Domestic
GTFFS0021 GATEWAY G113 S0021 (ET) Link HARMONY FINE FOODS HOA Domestic
GTFFS0104 GATEWAY Q007 SUMO S0104 (ET) Link HARMONY FINE FOODS HOA Domestic
GTFPS0213P GATEWAY POLL S0213P (P) Link HIDDEN VALLEY WAGYU JDS Domestic
HPEF22T0239 HP WAGYU T0239 (ET) Standard HP WAGYU HPE Domestic
HPWFR0057 HAMILTON PARK WAGYU 0057 (ET) Standard HAMILTON PARK WAGYU HPW Domestic
LFDFY0004 LONGFORD 004 (AI) (ET) Standard ACADEMY WAGYU AWS Domestic
M6RFR0122H M6 RANCH ITOSHIGENAMI R0122H (ET) Link SANTOS PATRONOS & LANDGRAF RANCH RST/LRX Int
M6RFR073H M6 RANCH ITOSHIGENAMI R073H (ET) Standard SANTOS PATRONOS, M6 CATTLE & LANDGRAF RANCH RST/M6R/LRX Int
MYMFS1214 ARUBIAL S1214 (AI) (ET) Standard ARUBIAL MYM Domestic
PPWFR005 CAPITAL COUNTRY APEX II PPWFR005 (AI) (ET) Link QUALITY GENETICS INTERNATIONAL QGI Domestic
PSKFS0005 SUNNYSIDE S0005 (AI) (ET) Standard SUNNYSIDE PSK Domestic
PWYPR0068 POLL WAGYU R0068 (AI) (ET) Link SAHARA PARK POLL SPP Domestic
STZFR0007 STARTZ HODAN RH07 (ET) Standard STARTZ STZ Int
SYNFS594 SYNERGY JNR SUPERIOR S594 (ET) Link SYNERGY SYN Int
USAPB45645 BAR R G6 (ET) Link LA ROCA RANGE LLR Int
WGGFR4526 GERMAN WAGYU GENETIC KAITO (ET) Standard GERMAN WAGYU GENETICS WGG Int
WSIFS513 WSI CELSIOR (ET) Standard REBEL WAGYU REB Int
WYNFR54468 WYNDFORD HERCULES (ET) Link WYNDFORD WAGYU WYN Int
YALFR16 YALANDRA R16 (AI) (ET) Standard YALANDRA YAL Domestic

NOMINATION INFORMATION

Nominate your Sire/s for the next cohort of the Wagyu Progeny Test Program.

Participation is encouraged from domestic and international-born Fullblood and Purebred sires. Animals may be nominated by the AWA member (owner) who has legal ownership of the animal/s and/or represents the interests of all owners and wishes to nominate for participation in the Project in agreement with the terms and conditions of the Project.

Contact

Katie Dailey
AWA-PTP Project Manager

Phone 02 8880 7712
Email  katie@wagyu.org.au

Important Dates

Cohort 2 Calving Commences: July 2023
Cohort 3 Joining Commences: October 2023
Cohort 4 Sire Nomination Cut Off: 31 January 2024

Any Australian or international based AWA member can nominate sires for the AWA-PTP, giving all AWA members the opportunity to have their sires proven through the world’s largest independent Fullblood Japanese Black Wagyu Progeny Test Program outside Japan. Bull Owners will receive improved BREEDPLAN EBVs and accuracies for current and new traits.

Entry requirements

Wagyu sires that enter the AWA-PTP must be Herdbook-registered, Fullblood Japanese Black Wagyu sires, nominated by Australian Wagyu Association members.

The AWA Genetic Improvement Committee, in conjunction with an independent quantitative genetics’ advisor, will make recommendations on animals to be accepted into the Project to the AWA-PTP Consultative Committee. The AWA-PTP Consultative Committee will be responsible for the selection of animals.

Recommendations will be based on the following criteria:
– Linkage within the Wagyu breed
– EBV diversity and accuracy
– Younger or unproven (low progeny number) animals are preferred, however high accuracy link-sires will also be considered
– Genetic conditions (testing for genetic conditions must be completed)
– Animal health status (proven to have tested negative for or vaccinated against Pestivirus, IBR, Vibriosis & Leptospirosis).

Please note, preference will be given to animals from members who have a high herd completeness of performance recording and data submission to Wagyu BREEDPLAN. All nominated animals must be genomic DNA tested as recognised within Wagyu BREEDPLAN monthly reports.

Fees, terms and conditions

Members can nominate sires under two categories

Project Standard Sire     AUD $7,500 plus GST
260 semen straws to be supplied to the Project

  • 60 straws to be retained and used by the project
  • 200 straws will be offered for public tender as part of 20 semen packages (10 straws from each sire (maximum 20) chosen by the purchaser). Where possible, some export quality semen packages will be available for tender, however, sire selection may be limited.
  • 30 sires will be accepted as Project standard sires each year.

Project Link Sire     AUD $15,000 plus GST
200 semen straws to be supplied to the project

  • 100 straws to be used across two years, creating double the progeny numbers and enabling genetic linkage between years of the project within the analysis.
  • Semen from these sires will not be offered for tender, with residual straws (100) held by AWA for use in future genetic projects as Link Sires.
  • In the first year of the project, a maximum of 10 sires will be accepted as “Link Sires”, with subsequent years calling for five new “Link Sires” to join the existing pool of sires.

“When the AWA announced the inaugural PTP, we jumped at the opportunity to be part of it. Particularly nominating our sire as a link sire. Not only will the program further increase the accuracy and integrity of Wagyu performance analysis, but it provides the opportunity to identify genetics that will further develop the Wagyu breed or see them go to the archives in nitrogen heaven.

The cost of nominating is irrelevant to us because the superior genetics identified will produce carcases at a premium dollar value when compared to the rest of the industry. In large operations this figure will be in the millions!

The AWA PTP is run and overseen with an accountable committee and sub committee to ensure the highest level of scrutiny and integrity when it comes to the operational side of proceedings. QGI, will remain a supporter of the AWA PTP for its entirety.”

Peter Bishop
Quality Genetics International, Year 1 Link Sire Owner

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can AWA Members who are not Wagyu BREEDPLAN members still participate?

Semen Sire Owners do not need to be members of Wagyu BREEDPLAN as the progeny data will be uploaded by the Contributor Cow Herd. BREEDPLAN EBVs are automatically calculated and published for all registered sires, based on their progeny data.

To submit data to BREEDPLAN, Contributor Herd Owners must be a Wagyu BREEDPLAN Member.

Enrolling for BREEDPLAN is free for full financial members of the AWA. Contact the office to get your copy of the AWA BREEDPLAN Membership form. Phone +61 (0)2 8880 7700.

What are the differences between Standard Sires and Link Sires?

Standard Sires will have 260 straws supplied to the project with 60 being used to produce progeny in large cohorts. The other 200 straws from Standard Sires will be offered for sale by open public tender as a part of the AWA-PTP Semen Package Tender program which will consist of 20 semen packages with 10 straws from 20 Sires (total 200 straws per package). It is expected that Standard Sire progeny numbers and data recorded from them will be amplified through industry use.

Link Sires will have supplied 200 straws to the project with 100 being used to produce progeny in two or more cohorts, doubling the number of progeny compared to Standard Sires with guaranteed data collection for all Progeny Test Program traits. The remaining 100 straws will be retained by the AWA so that any future research can be linked to the work done in the AWA-PTP. If during the 10-years of the PTP, another trait of interest is identified that was not captured in earlier years of the project, Link Sires can be re-entered, and the new data collected. Through genetic correlations of traits and the performance of the Link Sires, Standard Sires will also benefit.

What criteria will be used to select Sires?

When selecting sires, the following will be considered: their (genetic) linkage within the Wagyu breed as well as the other nominated animals, EBV diversity & accuracy and genetic condition status.

Other considerations will include their age, with preference given to younger/unproven sires. However, high accuracy sires will also be considered for linkage and benchmarking purposes.

What criteria will be used to select females for Contributor Cow Herds?

When selecting females, the following will be considered: their (genetic) linkage within the Wagyu breed as well as the other nominated animals, EBV diversity & accuracy, age – second calf (approx. 3yo) or older preferred, and the nominating herd’s BREEDPLAN completeness of performance rating.

Who is responsible for the selection of animals?

The AWA Genetic Improvement Committee (GIC: see Board Member bios) consulted with the AWA Project Team and independent genetic advisor, Dr Samuel Clark (UNE) to review all 2021 sire nominations. With less than the targeted 40 sires nominated, all 2021 nominated sires were recommended for acceptance by the GIC to the AWA-PTP Consultative Committee. With a target of 2,000 females for the 2021 contributor herd intake, the GIC recommended all 2,083 nominated females to the AWA-PRP Consultative Committee.

The AWA-PTP Consultative Committee reviewed the recommendations of the GIC and approved all 39 nominated sires and 2,083 nominated females noting that these spanned 8 herds across NSW, QLD and WA.

The AWA-PTP Consultative Committee consists of 9 persons, 3 from the AWA and 6 from the Wagyu Sector.

How will Sires be assigned to Contributor Cow Herds?

Once Semen Sires and Contributor Herds have been selected and accepted into the Project, all sires and all cows will be pooled and run through MateSel to allocate Sires to Contributor Herds based on performance and co-ancestry.

Other parameters will include the structure of Link Sires between herds and the genetic condition status of Sires. Whilst Contributor Herds will know the identity of the sires, they will not be given the choice of which sires will be joined to the cows they nominate for the Project.

Who owns the Project Progeny?

The Contributor Herd retains ownership of all Project progeny but is required to capture all trait measurements (in cooperation with the AWA for some traits) as defined by the AWA. Heifer progeny, however, are required to be naturally mated (without the interference of artificial breeding programs e.g. flushing for IVF) and data captured on their first two calves from birth to weaning.

What options do Contributor Herds have to feedlot Steer progeny?

The AWA-PTP aims to remain flexible and give Contributor Herds the option to continue their normal process of selling, feeding, or retaining ownership of Steer Progeny within their own supply chain. It is, therefore, open to discussion with each individual Contributor Herd as to what their preference may be. However, if herds wish to capture Net Feed Intake (NFI) data on their progeny, they will have to feed their Steer progeny through one of the AWA-nominated feedlots.

Regardless of what Contributor Herds choose, it is vital that Steers remain in their management groups (contemporary groups) from birth until slaughter.

How is the 10-year Project being funded?

Funding will be accrued over the lifetime of the Project and will comprise roughly equal contributions from Sire Entry Fees, Semen Tender proceeds and AWA retained assets.

These funds will be invested into the project to pay for the breeding, testing and trait recording for the maximum number of traits for all progeny.

Why do Sire Owners pay entry frees if AWA is selling straws?

The Sire Owners who nominate sires are the primary beneficiaries of the program as the AWA-PTP’s main purpose is to progeny test and prove the maximum number of new sires.

Two thirds (2/3) of the fund required to run the Project are generated from the Sire Entry Fees and the Semen Tender proceeds. These funds will be invested into the Project to ensure the optimal number of progeny are produced and effective measurements on the maximum number of traits are captured. The Project’s aim is to prove the Sires and contribute positively to the future genetic progress of the Breed.

Objectives of the project

Progeny test programs have been the backbone of the beef industry’s genetic improvement for the past 30 years. To date, AWA has built its genetic database and reference population from the high-quality genotype and performance data submitted by AWA members into the Wagyu BREEDPLAN genetic evaluation.

The Project aims to consolidate this data and provide a formal program that aligns with Goal Two of the 2020 – 2025 AWA Strategic Plan: Advance and protect our critical genetic resources.

This will be achieved through large-scale testing of progeny from diverse sire genetics sourced from the global Wagyu sector and the Australian Wagyu cow herd.

  1. Generate comprehensive progeny test data on approximately 250 emerging Wagyu bulls.
  2. Capture data on approximately 3,500 female progeny for new and hard to measure traits including female fertility and maternal performance.
  3. Capture data on approximately 3,500 steer progeny for feed efficiency and structure as well as new carcase and eating quality traits.
  4. Produce high-accuracy EBVs for Project Sires and Contributor Cow Herds as well as benefit the rest of the Wagyu population through the use of genomic analysis and genetic linkage.
  5. Improve outcomes of breeding decisions and increase the rate of genetic gain within the Wagyu breed.
  6. Expand the diversity and size of the reference population for the Wagyu breed, leveraging the AWA genomic, pedigree and performance data.

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Dr Kirsty Moore comparing of Wagyu Genomics to other breeds

 

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Important Notice and Disclaimer

It is very important that you appreciate when viewing the AWA database that the information contained on the AWA database, including but not limited to pedigree, DNA information, Estimated Breeding Values (EBVs) and Index values, is based on data supplied by members and/or third parties.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information reported through AWA, AWA officers and employees assume no responsibility for its content, use or interpretation. AWA disclaims all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you may incur as a result of the use by you of the data on this AWA database and the information supplied by ABRI and AGBU being inaccurate or incomplete in any way for any reason.

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

  • EBVs are derived using Wagyu Single Step BREEDPLAN technology developed independently by the Animal Genetics and Breeding Unit (AGBU), using the information contained within the AWA database.
  • AGBU is a joint venture of NSW Department of Primary Industries and the University of New England, which receives funding for this purpose from Meat and Livestock Australia Limited.
  • AWA relies solely on advice provided by AGBU and ABRI in accepting Wagyu Single Step BREEDPLAN software.
  • EBVs published in Wagyu Single Step BREEDPLAN are estimates of genetic potential of individual animals and may not reflect the raw animal phenotype.
  • EBVs can only be directly compared to other EBVs calculated in the same monthly Wagyu Group BREEDPLAN analysis.

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

  • 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 previous inaccuracies which were not detectable are now able to be detected by current testing 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 very 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.
  • The reporting of prefectural content for animals within the AWA Herdbook relies on the calculation provided by ABRI.

If you consider that you do not understand or appreciate the nature and extent of the data provided on this website or the EBVs of a particular animal, then AWA strongly recommends that you seek independent expert advice.

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