People often wonder why Wagyu is so much more expensive that most beef.
The basic answer is that it is more expensive to buy and raise Wagyu.
Large feedlots take their calves to about 15 or 16 months, and then take them to slaughter.
In contrast, most Wagyu producers that raise primarily full-blood (or very close to full-blood) cattle typically feed their calves to 28-30 months before they are finished.
Our highest cost of doing business is the feed, and the longer a calf is aged, the more money has been invested into feeding it. Also, having our investment take 30 months before there is any return is a challenge that other cattle producers do not deal with.
One reason many producers have gone to F1 Wagyu (which means 50% Wagyu) can have their age-at-slaugher lowered to about 22 months -- still longer than Angus or Herford, but far less that full-blood Wagyu. That is why F1 Wagyu is usually less expensive than full-blood Wagyu.
The basic answer is that it is more expensive to buy and raise Wagyu.
Large feedlots take their calves to about 15 or 16 months, and then take them to slaughter.
In contrast, most Wagyu producers that raise primarily full-blood (or very close to full-blood) cattle typically feed their calves to 28-30 months before they are finished.
Our highest cost of doing business is the feed, and the longer a calf is aged, the more money has been invested into feeding it. Also, having our investment take 30 months before there is any return is a challenge that other cattle producers do not deal with.
One reason many producers have gone to F1 Wagyu (which means 50% Wagyu) can have their age-at-slaugher lowered to about 22 months -- still longer than Angus or Herford, but far less that full-blood Wagyu. That is why F1 Wagyu is usually less expensive than full-blood Wagyu.
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