World Agriculture Directory: the home of the world's largest agriculture database. Fastest way to find events, farms and agribusiness that suit your needs. Agriculture Event Directory

Cattlemen Hall of FameBeef cattle barons, cowboys, breeders and builders from around the world

Cattle Breeders and Breed Pioneers

Lock Rogers of Guyra: From Angus Breeder to Wagyu Hall of Fame

A New England, NSW, producer who started with a Wagyu buyback scheme in 1993 and became a leading bull supplier.

Who is Lock Rogers?

Lock Rogers is a cattle producer based at Guyra in the New England region of New South Wales. He founded Wattletop Angus and Door Key Wagyu, and he was inducted into the Australian Wagyu Association Hall of Fame in 2023. The induction, accepted at the Wagyu Industry Dinner in Sydney in April 2023, is described in the Australian Wagyu Association's Hall of Fame announcement.

His path is typical of the Australian Wagyu industry's early years: an Angus breeder who tried Wagyu crossbreeding, found that it worked and gradually moved into Fullblood genetics.

How did he get into Wagyu?

Rogers was introduced to Wagyu in 1993 by Heather Suares through a buyback scheme for F1 progeny. According to the AWA, he was the only local Angus breeder to take it up. In practice that meant putting Wagyu genetics over Angus cows and having a buyer committed to the offspring, which reduced the risk of trying an unfamiliar breed.

Early on he used semen from Michifuku and Haruki2. He was the first to do a long-term projection and contract with the Whyalla feedlot in Queensland, an arrangement that gave both sides some certainty about numbers and timing.

Supplying Japan's live trade

For 10 years Rogers supplied F1 steers and heifers to the Japanese live export trade. Japan had been a destination for Australian cattle for decades. The Angus Australia tribute to breeder Bill Costello records another New South Wales Angus breeder visiting Japan in the 1970s to explore beef markets.

That experience also fits with what the AWA says about the type of cattle he built: they needed to suit the Japanese buyer first and the Australian feedlot second.

Moving to Fullblood Wagyu

In 1998 Rogers bought his first Fullblood heifer and four Fullblood bulls. That year marks the shift from crossbreeding into building a seedstock base. He has sold about 100 bulls a year across Australia, from Tasmania to the Gulf of Carpentaria, according to the AWA.

Door Key Wagyu introduced Wagyu genetics in 2007 through Stanbroke. In 2019 the business was forced to destock by 35 percent during drought, a reminder of the climate risk New England producers carry.

The Key to Rogers's Success

The documented record points to a breeder who matched his cattle to a buyer, kept his herd tight and helped others grow. All figures are the AWA's reporting.

He also kept both Angus and Wagyu in play, which spread his risk across two breeds and two markets.

  • He took a low-risk entry: the 1993 buyback scheme meant a market for F1 calves.
  • He contracted forward with a feedlot, the Whyalla operation in Queensland.
  • He enforced fertility: any female that misses a calf in a year is culled, and heifers are joined as yearlings.
  • He built Fullblood numbers from 1998 and sold bulls nationally.
  • He supported newer herds, including a 25-plus year embryo relationship with Wal Perry and help in starting Trent Bridge Wagyu.
  • He cut numbers by 35 percent in 2019 when drought struck.

Hall of Fame and industry influence

AWA president Charlie Perry also credited Rogers with helping Michael Bavea develop his herd. That kind of mentoring is common in breed societies, and it explains why an association honors a seedstock supplier as much as a show winner.

Compare the AWA's recognition of Arthur Dew of Longford Station, who received Honorary Life Membership in 2019: both honors reward a long, practical contribution to building the breed in Australia.

The AWA also notes that Rogers has kept both breeds running side by side. He was an Angus breeder when he met Wagyu in 1993, and Door Key Wagyu introduced Wagyu genetics in 2007. Running two breeds is common among Australian seedstock producers, because Angus females are the natural partner for the F1 cattle that the Japanese live trade wanted. His 2023 induction put him alongside the other breeders the association has chosen to honor for building the industry from a small base of imported cattle.

Learn more about Wagyu in Australia

To follow beef breeds across the world, see the ranching section of farm.FM, or read a farm.FM story about Wagyu and Angus cattle.

Timeline

  1. 1993Introduced to Wagyu through a buyback scheme for F1 progeny
  2. 1998Buys his first Fullblood heifer and four Fullblood bulls
  3. 2007Door Key Wagyu introduces Wagyu genetics through Stanbroke
  4. 2019Destocks by 35 percent during drought
  5. 2023Inducted into the Australian Wagyu Association Hall of Fame

Frequently asked questions

Who is Lock Rogers?

Lock Rogers is a Guyra, New South Wales, cattle producer who founded Wattletop Angus and Door Key Wagyu. He was inducted into the Australian Wagyu Association Hall of Fame in 2023.

How did Lock Rogers start with Wagyu?

He was introduced to Wagyu in 1993 by Heather Suares through a buyback scheme for F1 progeny, and he bought his first Fullblood heifer and four Fullblood bulls in 1998.

What is Door Key Wagyu?

Door Key Wagyu is a Wagyu operation founded by Lock Rogers. It introduced Wagyu genetics in 2007 through Stanbroke and destocked by 35 percent during the 2019 drought.

How many bulls does Lock Rogers sell?

The AWA reports he has sold about 100 bulls a year across Australia, from Tasmania to the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Sources and further reading

Profiles are compiled from public sources and reviewed against them. See our editorial policy to suggest a correction.

More from the hall