This season, Evan and Clare Chapman, of Rockburn Farming, have routinely produced 800kg-plus Wagyu steers, and impressive marble scores, off their property near Geraldine.
Last week, First Light — the co-op of New Zealand farmers the Chapmans belong to — processed the biggest animal the business had seen in recent memory, at 946kg.
Mrs Chapman believed their secret was simple.
"We feed, feed, feed our animals. Maybe he was destined to be a big boy and while we had to keep him on farm a bit longer due to Covid-19, I do not think it affected him too much."
They finish all of their Wagyus on fodder beet.
"We give them their carbohydrates and whether that helps them, I am not sure. Maybe some people do not use fodder beet and that could be the differential," she said.
"If the process is not broken we will not fix it, we do not want to mess up a system that is working. We feed them all the way through and give as much feed as possible. When they are not on fodder beet, they eat as much grass as they can get."
With 350 on farm at the moment, the Chapmans purchase 100 Wagyu steers every spring and 50 in the autumn.
"We do treat them all like royalty. He stood out in the mob as bigger but did not receive special treatment, they are all reasonably large."
First Light managing director Gerard Hickey said what Rockburn Farming (who were named First Light’s Finisher of the Year in 2019) had achieved this season was nothing short of extraordinary.
“The meat they have produced was outstanding. Tender Wagyu beef, fantastic marbling — the sort of grass-fed meat that is extremely highly prized in our discerning offshore markets.”
One Rockburn rib-eye has been held back from its scheduled shipment, sliced into steaks and will be auctioned for KidsCan, a charity supporting New Zealand children.
Mr Hickey estimated the beef, weighing approximately 6.8kg, would have sold to a US restaurant for a minimum of $500.
“We call these sorts of steaks ‘unicorns’ because to get anything above a marble score 7 was rare, and very much sought-after. We are keen to see this remarkable meat go to a Wagyu enthusiast here in New Zealand and to support a charity doing important work in our schools and early childhood education sector at the same time.”
The auction runs online until Friday September 4.
