South Australia's Mayura Station, an internationally-renowned vertically integrated operation, took top honours at the 2024 Wagyu Branded Beef Competition, with a fullblood Japanese black steak from the outfit's Signature Series.
Mayura collected the grand champion title in Cairns last night at a spectacular awards dinner featuring Wagyu industry people from around the country and the world.
More than 600 people have converged on far north Queensland for the 2024 Wagyu Edge conference, hosted by the Australian Wagyu Association, with an outstanding line-up of beef industry speakers.
This is the first time the event has been held this far north and application of Wagyu genetics into vast northern Australian herds is a key focus.
AWA chief executive officer Matt McDonagh described the event as a "three-day dive into market and the future technology drivers, along with on-farm delivery applications for the Wagyu sector."
"This will be truly a world Wagyu conference with a strong focus on innovations and opportunities for the Australian beef industry," he said.
First-day speakers on Wednesday included Dr Tim Ault, from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the changing global trade environment and global meat market expert Simon Quilty, Global AgriTrends.
AACo's managing director David Harris gave a fascinating talk on his company's 200 years with some insightful calls to action.
CPC chief executive officer Troy Setter, Cattle Australia director David Foote and livestock carbon expert Professor Richard Eckard are also on the agenda.
The headline-making Elite Wagyu Sale will be held on Thursday night as part of the conference.
A full article on the branded beef winners will follow.