Welcome Home, Girls: Raising Our Own Wagyu Replacement Heifers

Home sweet home. Our heifers and steers, relaxed and settled back in the steer pen.

Six young heifers came back home to the farm.

They're 18 months old now, and they've spent most of their lives at The Pietsch Place, after being weaned at 6 months old. Most of them were sired by KR Ito Tayasu, our previous 100% Japanese Black herd bull. And most of their mommas still live right here on the home place.

So it was a true homecoming.

What happened when the heifers came home?

When we first brought them back, we put them in the steer pen. Those steers were raised with them, weaned with them, and lived at The Pietsch Place with them. They knew each other, and they knew the place too.

It was a welcome home celebration! There was kicking, running, and plenty of bellering. If you've never seen cattle celebrate, it's quite a sight and it makes me smile every time.

After a week in the steer pen, we turned the girls out with the herd. This time it was a calm gathering, with no fuss and no drama. I am sure they remember their mommas and the place where they lived their first six months of life.

Our new sire, Emperor, also 100% Japanese Black Wagyu has a little more work to do as we are adding to our herd size.

Why do we raise our own Wagyu replacement heifers?

Keeping our own Wagyu replacement heifers is something we planned on. That's why we bought a new bull. Our herd is very docile and easy to work with, and that calm nature gets passed down from one generation to the next. When you raise them from birth, you know exactly who they are and where they come from.

Some of these heifers are additional to the number of momma's we used to keep. And some are replacing older cows that we've lost over the years. Dying is part of life on a farm, and it never gets easy. But many of our cows get to live their entire lives here, from the day they are born until the day they pass on.

How does each new heifer help our Wagyu herd?

These heifers range from 50% Wagyu all the way to pureblood. And with each new addition, the Wagyu percentage grows higher.

Here's how it works. Emperor, our new herd bull, is 100% Wagyu. When a 50% Wagyu heifer is bred to a 100% Wagyu bull, her calf will be 75% Wagyu. That's higher than the F1's we started with many years ago. An F1 is a first-generation cross at 50%. And the number of pureblood animals we will have to offer will grow as well.

Emperor will take care of his job, and these girls will be bred very soon, with new babies expected as soon as late July 2027.

What about Tomikos Miss Steak?

Do you remember her? We could never forget Tomiko's sweet Miss Steak. She is 10 months old, so still very young, but we brought her back home with another heifer since they like to be together. They will not join the herd until they are old enough to be bred. During that time, I get to see them and talk to them everyday. And they will be pampered until they reach their full potential.

We are very excited about adding numbers to our herd because our waiting list for Wagyu beef is growing, and our herd needs to grow along with it.

We are finding that more and more people want to buy from a local farm and ranch. They care about the animals. And they are searching for their "farmer." Tim and I feel so honored when they choose us. We give all praise and honor to the One who blesses us. And we thank Him for each one of you. May God bless your families and Thank You so much for supporting our small family farm.