Western Australian dairy farmers who have lost milk supply contracts with dairy processors could supplement their income by breeding a Wagyu-Friesian cross cattle, says the president of the Australian Wagyu Association.
The West Australian dairy industry has faced tough conditions in recent months as major dairy processors axed a number of ongoing contracts with farmers.
Many in the dairy industry have struggled to resign contracts with new processors and some have decided to leave the industry altogether.
But Albany Wagyu producer and Australian Wagyu Association president Peter Gilmour has suggested some dairy farmers could earn extra income by breeding a Wagyu-Friesian cross.
Wagyu first cross breeds, known as F1 cattle, have fetched record prices in some states.
Mr Gilmour said the cross-breeding was common practice in the eastern states of Australia because meat from the Wagyu-Friesian cross was in high demand due to its marbling.
He said dairy farmers could make good money selling the progeny from a dairy cow bred with a Wagyu bull.
“Prices of $600 or $700 a calf puts the value of that calf at $5 or $6 a kilogram,” he said.
“That certainly is a lot higher than the current prices in the market place.”
Mr Gilmour said dairy farmers were experts in artificial insemination (AI), which would help improve the success of breeding.
“They are very, very skilled at it and they do at least four joinings a year,” he said.
“So if you used Wagyu semen and artificially inseminated the cows and got Wagyu first cross progeny then all of a sudden you would see an uplift in the price in the beef production component [on the farm].”
Source: Rural