Wagyu cattle have been coming to the National Western Stock Show for seven years and they certainly don’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Wagyu were first introduced to the United States in 1975 when two black and two red bulls were imported from Japan. In the 1990’s, several more imports of Wagyu were entering into the states.
On March 14, 1990, the American Wagyu Association was formed. George Owen is now the Executive Director of the American Wagyu Association and has been working for the association for a little over a year.
At this year’s American Wagyu Show in the Stockyards Arena, there were 35 entries. The average number of entries the Wagyu show has at the NWSS is between 30 and 50.
Owen described the Wagyu breed as a “meat breed” not so much as a “show cattle breed.” Meat produced from Wagyu is known as one of the best marbling meats and is seen as a high-end prime.
With numbers increasing and tastes to satisfy, be watching for the Wagyu breed to get bigger within the upcoming years!
