Our Cattle

Angus

We have a small herd of full-blood registered Black Angus cattle. This breed has been established in Canada for more than 100 years and is popular with both farmers and consumers.

Angus cattle thrive in harsh weather conditions and tolerate both Canada’s cold winters and hot summers, requiring a minimum of maintenance. They are known for calving easily and strong maternal instincts. Calves tend to be active and vigorous right from birth.

Angus cattle produce exceptional quality beef that is tender and well-marbled, making it a popular choice for consumers.

Wagyu (Kobe)

Currently, we have 2 steers that are Fullblood Wagyu/Angus crosses and hope to receive delivery of our first Full-blood Wagyu cows in 2013.

Wagyu refers to all Japanese beef cattle. The dominant strains of black Wagyu are Tottori, Tajima, Shimane and Okayama. Kobe beef refers to cuts from the black Tajima cattle, raised under strict rules and with specific feeding techniques, in Hyogo province, of which Kobe is the capital city.

Kobe beef is world-renowned for its extensive marbling and tenderness. Wagyu cattle take almost 3 years to be ready to slaughter, far longer than other breeds, which makes them expensive to raise and the meat costly to buy.

Japan allowed the export of Wagyu cattle for only a short period in the ‘70s and ‘90s. It has now declared Wagyu to be heritable animals and banned the export of cattle and genetics.

Most North American Wagyu breeders cross-breed their cattle with Black Angus for a more diverse and healthy gene pool. Crossing these two breed of cattle has many benefits besides genetic diversity: It combines the hardiness and faster growth of the Angus with the intense marbling and succulent texture of the Wagyu, which results a great tasting meat that is more economical for the consumer. The beef from these crosses is called American Kobe or American-style Kobe beef.

According to the American Wagyu Association, Full-blood refers to 100% Wagyu, Purebred are 15/16th Wagyu and Percentage Wagyu are Full-blood or Purebred Wagyu crossed with another breed. There are currently about 27,000 Full-blood and crossbred Wagyu cattle in the U.S.

It is safe to say that the vast majority of Kobe beef sold in North America is not 100% pure Wagyu and because there is little or no regulation, there is no way to tell exactly what consumers are buying under the Kobe name. In fact, there can be little or even no Wagyu in beef identified as Kobe.