Nortwest Wagyu
All Kobe beef is Wagyu but not all Wagyu is Kobe, confused about what you’re ordering? If you think of it like champagne it will become sparkling clear. I’m Susan Allen this is Open Range and I’ll be back right after the break. Like fine wine the Northwest is known for what many are mistakenly calling Kobe beef, in reality is really Wagyu or a Wagyu cross. In the same way Champagne comes from a specific region in France and sparking wines from a host of other places, to earn the appellation of Kobe, Wagyu cattle are raised in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture and must conform to standards of that region, one of limited land and very isolated, reasons Kobe beef can bring up to three hundred dollars a pound and why it’s the worlds most sought after beef. In the 1990’Wagyu bulls were imported to, ( of all places) WSU where they were housed at the university originally for an easier way sell semen to Australian Wagyu breeders, struggling because of trade and tariff issues. The cattle flourished on our rich northwest grasses and ranchers like R.L. Freeborn and Bob Rebholtz of Agri Beef realized they could raise Wagyu economically, in essence creating America’s very own version of Kobe by crossing Wagyu with black angus cattle. Today Wagyu can even be found in grocery stores and casual-dining restaurants. So next time you see a Kobe burger on the menu, be a meat connoisseur and correct your waiter by explaining it’s most likely Northwest wagyu.
