King River Farms
Life on the Land: Our Farms, Feed and Expert Handling.
Farmers at
heart
King River Wagyu are raised on stunning Australian farms throughout Queensland. With decades of experience, we are experts in breeding, care, feeding, and processing to produce high-quality, consistent Wagyu.
Farmers at heart, the quality of life of our Wagyu is of utmost importance to our team so that no matter where in the world you are enjoying King River, you can trust that our products are nutritious, sustainable and handled with expert care.
Our Farms
Our Wagyu enjoy a relaxed life roaming pristine Australian grasslands with plenty of shade and access to quality water. The King River farms are located along rivers in northern Queensland and are strategically and vertically integrated. This gives you assurance of the quality and traceability of our products.
Our team is strategic in placing paddocks, feedlots and shade to ensure the Wagyu remain relaxed, healthy and cared for at every stage of life.
- 蓮花公園
- 卡梅隆
- 八英里站
- 雷文斯伍德山站
- 斯特拉斯公園站
- Marathon
Breeding and Genetics
The King River breeding program is second to none. Over the decades, we’ve refined our Wagyu breeding program to ensure high fertility, relaxed temperament, excellent carcass weight, and prime eating quality with the famous Wagyu marbling. King River achieves optimal intramuscular marbling fat by carefully analysing the pedigree of breeding steers and bulls, matching genetics, features and size.
From there, the management of calves begins immediately after birth. They are gradually prepared for weaning to ensure the process happens without stress. The result is our perfectly marbled Wagyu, ready for a fine dining experience.
Our Feedlot
The King River feedlot at 蓮花公園
is a central part of the Wagyu’s experience. The 6,000 head feedlot is where the majority of our cattle are finished, with our crossbred Wagyu spending an average of 365 days in the feedlot and purebred Wagyu spending up to 450 days receiving high-quality nutrition.
Our feedlot has been operating for over 40 years, and the results speak for themselves. Our operation is scrupulously clean, smells great due to the steam-flaked grain we prepare on site, and is fully shaded so the cattle can eat without sun exposure or dehydration. A professional nutritionist monitors our Wagyu and provides a specialised graduated feeding program to ensure steady growth and optimal marbling.
All feed used in finishing the cattle is grown on our own farms, with 2,800 hectares under production in a mix of dryland and irrigated cropping. We grow corn silage, cotton, wheat, sorghum, chickpeas and mung beans to give our Wagyu a balanced and nutritious diet.
Wagyu care and handling
The cattle’s quality of life is core to production: both for the dignity and experience of the beast and for the quality of our produce. Nutrition, stress, water, and pasture land all contribute to a Wagyu’s weight gain and the Development of Marbling in the Meat.
A well-fed, happy Wagyu will produce larger cuts of beef with better marbling throughout. The care and experience of the Wagyu are also fundamental to our values as a family-run Aussie business. These animals have supported our business for generations, so we give them dignity while in our care. As a result, our Wagyu are highly respected and cared for at every stage of life.
King River goes above and beyond to ensure a low-stress, high-quality lifestyle for our Wagyu. Some of the ways we do this include:
- Breeding for calm temperaments to benefit the whole herd
- Intentional weaning to ensure calves are not distressed
- Calm mustering and handling throughout the Wagyu’s life
- Plentiful provision of water, shade, safety and food
- Gradual feeding monitored by a professional nutritionist
- Strategic preparation for transport to ensure loading and processing are a low-stress experience.
- Lining all our transportation trucks with sawdust to provide a soft cushioned layer for comfort and safety
