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Darvannon Ranch's Cattle Herd
Our Cattle Herd
Our small herd of cattle has been developed with a strong focus on quality over traditional commercial or capitalist views of quantity. This is reflected in or careful selection of the genetic components of our herd. After years of research, we decided to establish a herd based on jersey genetics crossed over an Angus background. Our decision to evolve in this manner was very calculated, and demonstrates our firm dedication to quality. Few people know this, but one of the most extraordinary characteristics of Jersey cattle is the high level of intramuscular fat that they are able to achieve, even when exposed exclusively to pasture feeding conditions. This inherently genetic potential of the Jersey breed enables it to achieve an exquisite amount of intramuscular marbling, even a very low carcass weights. Further research into the qualities of Jersey meat has suggested that on the Warner-Bratzler shear force scale (a measure of meat tenderness) Jersey carcasses consistently score the lowest (meaning the most tender meat). Additionally, evidence based research conducted into taste studies have consistently demonstrated that Jersey beef has been highly rated, noting its greater tenderness, juiciness and flavor.
It was this consistent, evidence based superiority that we wanted to capture in our finished product, and therefore we made the conscious decision to sacrifice frame size for decadence in regards to our targeted primary outcomes.
In 2018 we encountered the Wagyu breed of cattle, and knew instantaneously that we wanted to
incorporate this type of genetic profile into our small herd. This small breed of Japanese cattle is world renowned for its ability to produce a tender and flavorful meat product, a trait which is attributed to the unique genetic attributes of this breed. In particular, we noted that these genetic attributes could be inherited in a dominate fashion with variable penetrance on an F1 cross. Immediately we acquired a superior bull.
Wagyu Beef
The Wagyu produces one of the highest marbling of all breeds of cattle. Additionally the intra-muscular fat of Wagyu is quite high in oleaginous unsaturated fatty acid resulting in a much higher ratio of mono-unsaturated to saturated fatty acids than other breeds. This ratio gives the meat a wonderfully rich, juicy, buttery taste and enhanced tenderness. Mono-unsaturated fatty acids are considered to be the “healthy” fatty acids. Wagyu beef contains a higher percentage of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef. The unique advantage in wagyu is that it contain a much higher proportion of the desirable monounsaturated fats than other beef. The monounsaturated /saturated fat ratio was up to three times higher in wagyu than other beef. Fifty percent of all marbling within a wagyu carcass was made up of oleic acid (mono unsaturated) ,while a relatively small portion was saturated fat. but even the saturated fat contained in wagyu is different Forty percent of it is in a version called Stearic acid ,which is regarded as having a minimal impact in raising cholesterol level.
So really , the profile of marbled wagyu beef is very beneficial to human health. Omega 6 fatty acid (CLA) is only present in small amounts in food and best sources are beef and dairy products. CLA has been shown to have potent anti carcinogenic effects, reducing heart diseases, reducing body fat gain, anti inflammatory and increasing immune responses. Wagyu cattle contain the highest amount of CLA per gram of any food stuffs.-about 30% more than other beef breeds.
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Biochemistry tests conducted by Washington State University on Wagyu fatty tissue indicate that the fat from this breed has a healthier fatty acid profile and an unsaturated-to-saturate fat ratio of 2:1 instead of the 1:1 ratio of regular beef. Because of the Wagyu cattle's genetic predisposition wagyu cattle yield a beef carcass that contains a higher percentage of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids than typical beef. The increased marbling also improves the ratio of monounsaturated fats to saturated fats .