To the majority of meat eaters, Japanese Wagyu cattle comes with a reputation for being the best—and most expensive—beef on the planet. Renowned for being supremely tender, lusciously marbled, and healthier than run-of-the-mill Western beef, Wagyu (which means "Japanese cow") has become the gold standard when it comes to top-shelf, luxury beef.
But it wasn't always this way.
To hear Alberta rancher Dana Lammi tell it, the history of Wagyu beef and its unlikely path to high-end North American dinner plates has all the ingredients of a good mystery novel. In addition to the obligatory intrigue, Dana's story begins more than 2,000 years ago in rural Japan and stars Japanese nobility, teams of American beef researchers, AWOL Japanese cattle, and hundreds of thousands of vials of 50-year-old frozen bull semen.
The tale begins in ancient Japan. According to historians, for their first 2,000 years in Japan cattle were used solely for labour as result of a Buddhist edict that prohibited the consumption of animal milk or flesh. Because of this, generations of Japanese cattle were used almost exclusively as draft animals, mostly in mining, forestry, and rice farming. This changed in 1867 when sweeping social and political reforms introduced by Japanese Emperor Meiji lifted the national ban on eating animal flesh.
It was only after this that it was discovered that Wagyu beef had a distinct, decadent flavour, which was credited to their lavish lifestyle: one which included well-ventilated barns, ample fresh water, and regular grooming from their owners, who had treated them like family for decades.
Not long after foreign travellers discovered the unique flavour of this rich and deeply marbled beef, the majority of which originated in the city of Kobe. And thus the popularity of so-called "Kobe Beef"— the first Wagyu beef to gain an international reputation—was born.
But the Wagyu journey from the islands of Japan to Western shores is even more improbable and unlikely. In 1976, decades after Kobe beef came on the scene, several heads of Wagyu beef mysteriously showed up in America. How they got there is the source of much debate.
According to Dana, in the 1970s four heads of Wagyu cattle (two Red and two Black) were gifted from Japanese Emperor Hirohito to the Hawaiian Royal Family. The story goes that the Hawaiian Royals didn't think much of their prized—and admittedly delicious—gift, and in 1976 surreptitiously sold them to Texas A&M University, home to a world-renowned beef research centre. Another story has a Japanese rancher selling his precious cattle to the university just outside of Houston (despite protests from the Japanese government) as a way of backing up their Wagyu health claims with science.
However they wound up in the Lone Star state, the resulting studies on the rouge cattle quartet were a milestone that helped pave the way for further scientific enquiry into Wagyu genetics from the likes of Washington State University and Colorado State University. According to Dana that should have marked the end of the line for the four wayward Wagyu, as the researchers were contracted to slaughter them once they were finished their work.
But as the legend goes, the Texas researchers made the fateful decision to auction them off to ranchers, and the North American Wagyu industry was born. For about 15 years, these original cattle were used as the basis of a budding Wagyu boom in America.
In 1993, the Japanese government approved the export of a handful of full-blood Wagyu to North America, which is where Dana Lammi enters the picture. Dana says he was quick to see the potential in Wagyu, even though his father, a committed grain farmer, was quick to question the venture. He wasn't alone: others frowned on Wagyu as well, citing its high fat content and expense (Wagyu cattle cost 25 percent more to raise).
But in Dana's eyes, Wagyu looked like the future of cattle in North America. He bought a few head and established BowVal Ranch on 665 sprawling acres outside Turin, a small hamlet outside of Lethbridge, Alberta where Dana was born and raised. Named after its pristine location in a valley alongside the Little Bow River, Dana began raising his outsider cattle confident that science and genetics were on his side.
"Wagyu are the most studied cow in the world" he says "Sure, they may not be as pretty as an Angus, but they're 100-percent organic, and what they can pass on to your cattle is where they really shine."
In addition to their famous fatty flavour, studies over the years have shown that Wagyu boast higher rates of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, mono-unsaturated fat, and a high ratio of oleic acid when compared to regular cattle. In fact, according to recent research conducted by Dr. Stephen Smith of Texas A&M University Wagyu beef approaches olive oil in terms of its health benefits to humans.
Within a few years, Dana was raising Wagyu for sale and breeding for other ranchers hoping to introduce some of the Wagyu magic into their own cattle. Then in 1998 the Japanese government halted all international sales of Wagyu, declaring the species a national treasure that needed protection.
Only about 100 head were ever exported, but it was enough to sustain a thriving business in genetics thanks in large part to reproductive technology. Dana explains that one Wagyu bull is capable of producing 100,000 semen samples in a lifetime, which is an ample supply to build a thriving breeding business on, especially for ranchers who are looking to upgrade the grading of standard cattle from AA to AAA, or even Prime +.
In the 25 years that BowVal has been in the Wagyu game, Dana has weathered a number of market storms—including the 2003 BSE crisis which wiped out 90 percent of Canadian Wagyu ranchers—but his commitment to the brand remains steadfast.
"In Canada there hasn't been anybody bringing in any new genetics, so my genetics are probably newer than what others have – and it's from the highest marbling Wagyus out there," he explains.
"I'd say that if you're a commercial cattleman in a pasture-to-plate program, a niche market operator, or just want to raise better tasting beef, you need to be aware of the benefits that the Wagyu breed offers. They are easy calving, gentle natured, and have the ability to take your herd to the next level."
"I am more optimistic than ever that the Wagyu breed is here to stay."
But it wasn't always this way.
To hear Alberta rancher Dana Lammi tell it, the history of Wagyu beef and its unlikely path to high-end North American dinner plates has all the ingredients of a good mystery novel. In addition to the obligatory intrigue, Dana's story begins more than 2,000 years ago in rural Japan and stars Japanese nobility, teams of American beef researchers, AWOL Japanese cattle, and hundreds of thousands of vials of 50-year-old frozen bull semen.
The tale begins in ancient Japan. According to historians, for their first 2,000 years in Japan cattle were used solely for labour as result of a Buddhist edict that prohibited the consumption of animal milk or flesh. Because of this, generations of Japanese cattle were used almost exclusively as draft animals, mostly in mining, forestry, and rice farming. This changed in 1867 when sweeping social and political reforms introduced by Japanese Emperor Meiji lifted the national ban on eating animal flesh.
It was only after this that it was discovered that Wagyu beef had a distinct, decadent flavour, which was credited to their lavish lifestyle: one which included well-ventilated barns, ample fresh water, and regular grooming from their owners, who had treated them like family for decades.
Not long after foreign travellers discovered the unique flavour of this rich and deeply marbled beef, the majority of which originated in the city of Kobe. And thus the popularity of so-called "Kobe Beef"— the first Wagyu beef to gain an international reputation—was born.
But the Wagyu journey from the islands of Japan to Western shores is even more improbable and unlikely. In 1976, decades after Kobe beef came on the scene, several heads of Wagyu beef mysteriously showed up in America. How they got there is the source of much debate.
According to Dana, in the 1970s four heads of Wagyu cattle (two Red and two Black) were gifted from Japanese Emperor Hirohito to the Hawaiian Royal Family. The story goes that the Hawaiian Royals didn't think much of their prized—and admittedly delicious—gift, and in 1976 surreptitiously sold them to Texas A&M University, home to a world-renowned beef research centre. Another story has a Japanese rancher selling his precious cattle to the university just outside of Houston (despite protests from the Japanese government) as a way of backing up their Wagyu health claims with science.
However they wound up in the Lone Star state, the resulting studies on the rouge cattle quartet were a milestone that helped pave the way for further scientific enquiry into Wagyu genetics from the likes of Washington State University and Colorado State University. According to Dana that should have marked the end of the line for the four wayward Wagyu, as the researchers were contracted to slaughter them once they were finished their work.
But as the legend goes, the Texas researchers made the fateful decision to auction them off to ranchers, and the North American Wagyu industry was born. For about 15 years, these original cattle were used as the basis of a budding Wagyu boom in America.
In 1993, the Japanese government approved the export of a handful of full-blood Wagyu to North America, which is where Dana Lammi enters the picture. Dana says he was quick to see the potential in Wagyu, even though his father, a committed grain farmer, was quick to question the venture. He wasn't alone: others frowned on Wagyu as well, citing its high fat content and expense (Wagyu cattle cost 25 percent more to raise).
But in Dana's eyes, Wagyu looked like the future of cattle in North America. He bought a few head and established BowVal Ranch on 665 sprawling acres outside Turin, a small hamlet outside of Lethbridge, Alberta where Dana was born and raised. Named after its pristine location in a valley alongside the Little Bow River, Dana began raising his outsider cattle confident that science and genetics were on his side.
"Wagyu are the most studied cow in the world" he says "Sure, they may not be as pretty as an Angus, but they're 100-percent organic, and what they can pass on to your cattle is where they really shine."
In addition to their famous fatty flavour, studies over the years have shown that Wagyu boast higher rates of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, mono-unsaturated fat, and a high ratio of oleic acid when compared to regular cattle. In fact, according to recent research conducted by Dr. Stephen Smith of Texas A&M University Wagyu beef approaches olive oil in terms of its health benefits to humans.
Within a few years, Dana was raising Wagyu for sale and breeding for other ranchers hoping to introduce some of the Wagyu magic into their own cattle. Then in 1998 the Japanese government halted all international sales of Wagyu, declaring the species a national treasure that needed protection.
Only about 100 head were ever exported, but it was enough to sustain a thriving business in genetics thanks in large part to reproductive technology. Dana explains that one Wagyu bull is capable of producing 100,000 semen samples in a lifetime, which is an ample supply to build a thriving breeding business on, especially for ranchers who are looking to upgrade the grading of standard cattle from AA to AAA, or even Prime +.
In the 25 years that BowVal has been in the Wagyu game, Dana has weathered a number of market storms—including the 2003 BSE crisis which wiped out 90 percent of Canadian Wagyu ranchers—but his commitment to the brand remains steadfast.
"In Canada there hasn't been anybody bringing in any new genetics, so my genetics are probably newer than what others have – and it's from the highest marbling Wagyus out there," he explains.
"I'd say that if you're a commercial cattleman in a pasture-to-plate program, a niche market operator, or just want to raise better tasting beef, you need to be aware of the benefits that the Wagyu breed offers. They are easy calving, gentle natured, and have the ability to take your herd to the next level."
"I am more optimistic than ever that the Wagyu breed is here to stay."