History in Japan
Japanese breeders began crossing their native cattle with imported breeds in the late 1800s. The result? The Wagyu cattle we know today. Wagyu were initially used as draft animals because they have more intramuscular fat (IMF) cells than other cattle. This means that Wagyu have more energy and physical endurance, and less “bad” fat, than other breeds.
When the Buddhist ban on eating meat ended in 1872, the Japanese began eating Wagyu. They discovered that the animals’ intramuscular fat gave the meat a gorgeous white marbling—and a tender, flavorful taste.
History in the U.S.
In 1975, Texas cattleman Morris Whitney imported four Wagyu to the United States: two Japanese Black bulls and two Japanese Red bulls. Whitney crossbred these bulls with Angus and other American breeds to improve the quality of domestic herds.
In 1991, another American breeder purchased Wagyu bull semen. Then, five more Black Wagyu (including three females) were imported to the United States in 1993. Japan stopped exporting Wagyu in 2003, but U.S. Wagyu production continues.
Since 1910, there have been four breeds of Wagyu:
Japanese Black (which you’ll find at Prime Valley Farms)
Japanese Brown (in the U.S., we call them Red Wagyu)
Japanese Polled
Japanese Shorthorn
Marbling
Did you know Wagyu is the world’s top marbling breed? Wagyu carry adipocytes, fat cells with a protein receptor. When that receptor is activated, it produces lipids that turn into marbling.
Those adipocytes are influenced by what’s going on around them, from the last three months of the calf in the womb to its first three months of life.
That’s just one reason why we’re raising Wagyu cattle with care: to avoid stressing them (which limits the marbling effect their fat cells can have).
Because our herd lives in a low-stress environment, they’re able to develop healthy intramuscular fat (IMF) and adipocytes—which leads to beautiful, consistent marbling in your family’s or customer’s meat.
Four Categories of American Wagyu
“Fullblood” means the cattle have never been crossbred, and their genetics are DNA verified to prove they’re directly descended from Japan. We’re humbled to breed 100% fullblood Japanese Black Wagyu on our farm.
50% Crossbred
93.75% Purebred
75% Crossbred
100% Fullblood (Prime Valley Farms Herd)
Fullblood, Purebred, and Crossbred
Our herd is DNA-verified and certified as 100% fullblood Wagyu. But, you may be wondering what the difference is between fullblood, purebred, and crossbred Wagyu. “Fullblood” means that each of our calves comes from a fullblood (100%) Wagyu cow and a fullblood (100%) Wagyu sire. Many other Wagyu in the United States are purebred (93.75%) or crossbred (50-87.5%).
We'd like to point out that there is absolutely a purpose for purebred and crossbred Wagyu beef as well. We have chosen to specifically breed, feed, and sell 100% Fullblood Japanese Black Wagyu so that our beef is equivalent to Japanese A4- and A5-grade beef. However, crossbred Wagyu still produce higher-quality beef traditional commercial cattle and the famous "Angus." So, even if you want to consume or raise Wagyu that's less than 100%, you'll still have an amazing experience!
