Wagyu is an emerging opportunity for BC beef producers in the high-end beef market. Ranchers have tried bringing in Wagyu animals to Canada, but they have largely failed. This may be related to difficulties reproducing the traditional Japanese production system for Wagyu, which utilizes a selective mixture of grains, forage (e.g. pasture, hay or silage) and feed additives to achieve the distinct flavour and marbling appearance that is revered globally.   

To advance the economic and sustainable production of Wagyu beef with high nutritional value in BC, Dr John Church from Thompson Rivers University and Bill Vanderkooi from Bakerview EcoDairy compared the influence of various finishing diets on different cattle breeds. One group of Angus x Holstein crosses and Wagyu steers were fed a forage-based diet followed by a conventional cereal grain-based finishing diet versus another group which received HydroGreen’s hydroponically produced grass ration supplemented with whey.  

Wagyu cattle fed the HydroGreen diet showed superior marbling quality, while metabolomic analysis demonstrated better fatty acid profiles, with higher levels of Omega 3, monounsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated acids. Furthermore, the HydroGreen diet could permit the production of high-quality, grass-fed beef year-round – a process currently limited to seasonal output in Canada. This has the potential to significantly boost the performance of the entire industry and the competitiveness of Bakerview EcoDairy. This study demonstrated the effects of incorporating hydroponically produced fodder in cattle feed. Using the HydroGreen feeding strategy, Bakerview Ecodairy will have the opportunity to develop high-value revenue streams by marketing traceable and authentically verified Wagyu-style beef products and by producing high-quality grass-fed-like beef year-round.