At the Elite Wagyu National Sale last Friday 10 May, in Adelaide, breeders paid more for the females than the bulls. There were two top donor females that cracked through the glass ceiling of value, previously held by bulls. Genomic testing and new IVF technology allow the best to be identified and then used to produce up to 50 calves a year. It is these numbers that have now made all super donor cows worth over $200,000.
The top priced females made $280,000 and $200,000. Excluding those two, 13 other cows averaged $42,692. 14 bulls sold to average $25,393. The top prices in the bulls were $55,000, $52,000 and $50,000, which was a long way back from last year where we saw four bulls sell from $70,000 to $185,000.
This Elite level sale has become a global sale with international buyers and sellers playing big roles. The countries involved are USA, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the UK. The Canadian vendor, Ken Kurosawatsu produced the top priced embryos. They will be exported to Australia for use in the Hewitt Pastoral Wagyu enterprise, based in Queensland.
The top price female was a heifer from Mayura Station, Millicent, South Australia by the famous Itoshigenami Jnr, who also sired the top price bull last year. Mayura N1229 was bought by Brian Stamps, Tuttle, Oklahoma, USA. Mr Stamps bought well at the November Premium Wagyu Sale and this heifer will join his other cattle at an export centre in Victoria. He also bought the top price semen of the day at $6730 per straw ( x 10) from Macquarie M0546 a high performing son of Y408.
Pictured: AWA President Chantal Winter and AWA CEO Dr Matt McDonagh (right) congratulates Scott de Bruin from Mayura Station on the great result.
The other high flyer was a Trent Bridge cow, PTIC to a son of Y408. Trent Bridge K0034 is just under five years and by a home bred sire in TB F0126 and has a double cross of Itoshigenami TF148. Her claim to fame is her marbling data both for marble score and marble fineness. The top female in the breed with an MS of 2.4 and MF of 0.48. Being in calf to a son of Y408 will make the calf something special. She was purchased by the under bidders of the top priced lot, Geneflow, who are new entrants in the IVF embryo industry, based at Tocumwal, on the Murray River in southern NSW. She will go into their quarantine for production of embryos. Geneflow will offer breeders and investors a chance to buy a share in the cow. Syndicate details are being prepared.
Overall it was a very strong result for the Wagyu breed and values will continue to increase. We`ll look back and say 2019 started the record prices in super females but all lots were good value buying.