History of wagyu cattle in america

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Wagyu cattle originate from Japan. The first four Wagyu bulls that were introduced to the United States were brought over by a cattleman named Morris Whitney, with the help of a Japanese partner. Whitney sold the cattle to a veterinarian in Georgetown, TX.

 Despite numerous attempts to generate profit from the cattle, the ventures ended in failure. Cattle breeder Don Lively and his business partner Fred Hildebrand eventually ended up with these cattle that seemed to have little value. 

 As of 1990, Lively's collection of semen from the renowned Wagyu cattle is valued at approximately $2 million.  Cattlemen and agribusiness companies worldwide have visited Lively's LoDo Ranch in Georgetown, TX to purchase semen, aiming to initiate the breeding of their own Wagyu herds. 

In 1990, there were about 900,000 head of Wagyu in Japan while fewer than 60 purebreds existed in the United States. Lively and his partner owned most. 

The population of Wagyu cattle in the U.S., both purebred and crossbred, has been increasing steadily due to growing interest in Wagyu beef.  As of 2023, the American Wagyu Association estimates that there are approximately 40,000 half to full-blood Wagyu cattle in the US.