Wagyu farm network in Japan
“Wagyu” means “Japanese beef.” It refers to four unique breeds of purebred cattle: Kuroge (Japanese Black), Akage (Japanese Brown), Nihon Tankaku (Japanese Shorthorn), and Mukaku (Japanese Polled). This classification was established in 1944.
For those four wagyu breeds, cross-breeding with other cattle varieties is prohibited. These four strains emerged by cross-breeding with cattle mostly from Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their common ancestor? Tajima cattle.
- Japanese Black: Kuroge
- Japanese Brown: Akage
- Japanese Shorthorn: Nihon Tankaku
- Japanese Polled: Nihon Mukaku
We uses unique farming methods with new, technically sound scientific methodologies. This combination contributes to the improvement in both the meat and the quality of the animals’ lives.
Farm2Table’s innovative approach to Wagyu farming, expanding 30 years, has led to the introduction of best practices and quality assurance schemes outside those recommended by Japan regulatory bodies. These practices and schemes involve areas of, but not limited to, animal welfare, land quality, water efficiency and climate variability.
Farm2Table has the goal to change the way we produce our Wagyu to set a new benchmark in animal welfare and sustainability. We have established a new standard, called Craft Wagyu series created by world-class Japanese Wagyu Meisters to have a complete control of the genetics from birth to harvest. Each farm owns unique elite mother Wagyu cow to create the perfect meat.
Craft Wagyu farms have produced innovative feed utilization and unique feeding methods to suit individual heads of cattle and the feeding environment.
The other important indicator of wagyu quality is the grade. You’ll often see grades such as “A5” written on a restaurant’s signboard or menu. This classification refers to a universal system, grades awarded by a member of the Japan Meat Grading Association.
The “Yield Grade” is marked by letters from A to C, indicating how much high-quality meat one cow offers, not counting parts such as skin and internal organs, of course. The highest yield grade that can be attained is A.
A number between 1 and 5 then follows this letter – this is the “Quality Grade.” Four criteria determine how high the quality grade is: marbling, meat color and brightness, firmness and texture of meat, and color, luster, and quality of fat.
