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Turning grass into money - this time with cattle, with Joe Kerin

Head Shepherd

Head Shepherd
Turning grass into money - this time with cattle, with Joe Kerin
Jun 15, 2026 Season 2026 Episode 287
Mark Ferguson

What does a cow actually cost to run?

At Kerin Ag, every kilogram of utilisable feed has a value attached to it. That allows Joe Kerin and the team to measure whether an animal is genuinely paying its way.

In this episode, Joe joins Mark to discuss how putting a dollar value on each kilogram of grass they grow led them to choose Wagyu over Angus. As any Kerin would, Joe has done the numbers and compared Wagyu cows with larger recipient cows, based on the weaning weight of their calves relative to the kg of dry matter consumed by the cows. And, as predicted, the moderate-sized cow is far more efficient than the larger Angus X recipients. 

Joe also discusses the role of genomics in Wagyu breeding. As they are a breed with a very narrow gene pool and are bred for carcass-related attributes, genomics is incredibly important, and Joe utilises it to its fullest.

Tune in to learn how to turn grass into money- this time with cattle.


Head Shepherd is brought to you by neXtgen Agri International Limited

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