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Geoff Willett and the Maydan Feedlot: Feeding Wagyu the Japanese Way

A Warwick feedlot founder studied Japanese feeding regimes and pushed Australia's grading scale to recognize Wagyu marbling.

Who is Geoff Willett?

Geoff Willett is the founder of Maydan Feedlot at Warwick in southern Queensland, and one of the early Australian feeders to build a program around Wagyu cattle. The Australian Wagyu Association honored him at its 2021 conference, saying in its Hall of Fame announcement that the award recognized his integrity, tenacity and dedication to Wagyu in Australia.

The article spells his first name Geoffery in the body and Geoff in the headline. This profile uses Geoff. The sources give no birth date, so his years are shown as the span in which the feedlot record is documented.

How did Maydan Feedlot begin?

Maydan started in 1984 with four pens. It was sold in 2017, when it housed at least 77 pens of premium Wagyu cattle. Alan Hoey, who was feedlot manager at the beginning, said many early Wagyu pioneers stayed with the Maydan feeding program until the sale.

In Australia a feedlot is defined by the national body ALFA as a constructed facility where cattle are confined and fed a prepared ration, and its ALFA About page says members represent more than 90 percent of cattle on feed. Maydan was one of the specialist yards inside that system that focused on Wagyu.

Why Japanese feeding methods mattered

The Australian Wagyu Association article names early challenges for the pioneer generation: resistance to an unfamiliar breed, finding markets for Wagyu beef and for F1 live exports, understanding genetics, and developing feeding methods based on Japanese practice.

Beef Central reports in its April 2021 coverage of the induction that Willett did significant early research into Japanese feeding regimes so that the knowledge could be applied in Australia through specialized Wagyu programs. Joe Grose, a former AWA president, said Willett saw the breed's value early and was among the first to set up an operation for specialized Wagyu feeding.

The marble score change

Willett worked with AusMeat to add marbling scores 7, 8 and 9 to the grading scale, so that the higher levels Wagyu can reach could be recorded. The sources do not give the date of the change or detail his role beyond championing it.

A scale that stops short of what the cattle can produce cannot describe the best carcasses, and it limits how they are priced and marketed. Extending the numbers gave producers and buyers a common language for Wagyu marbling.

The Key to Willett's Success

The record is brief, but the sources agree on the same few behaviors, which the induction speakers linked to his standing in the breed.

These points are drawn only from the two published accounts.

  • He committed early to specialized Wagyu feeding when many in the industry doubted the breed.
  • He researched Japanese regimes first, then adapted them to Australian conditions.
  • He pushed for the grading scale to match what Wagyu actually produced.
  • He supported marketing structures, with John Hammond crediting his determination for much of the early success of the Certified Wagyu Corporation, set up in the mid-1990s for the F1 live trade.
  • He was open about errors: Hoey said feedlots around the country have learned from Willett's mistakes and lessons.

Context: the Wagyu pioneers

The association names other pioneers alongside him, including Shogo Takaeda, Wally Rea, the Hammonds, Simon Coates, Nick and Vicki Sher, David Blackmore and David Warmoll. His part was the feeding end: turning breeders' cattle into carcasses buyers would pay for.

For stories about feeding and finishing in the wider beef trade, see the farm.FM ranching section. A related read is a farm.FM story about Wagyu beef.

What the sources do not say

The published tributes do not give Willett's birth details, other honors or the exact dates of his AusMeat work, so this profile does not either. It also records no controversies. The 2021 induction was announced on 14 May 2021 by the AWA, and Beef Central reported it on 28 April 2021 from the conference on the Gold Coast.

Timeline

  1. 1984Maydan Feedlot opens at Warwick with four pens
  2. Early yearsResearches Japanese feeding regimes for Wagyu programs
  3. UndatedWorks with AusMeat to extend marble scores to 7, 8 and 9
  4. Mid-1990sCertified Wagyu Corporation set up by Wagyu producers for the F1 live trade
  5. 2017Maydan sold, housing at least 77 pens of Wagyu
  6. 2021Inducted into the Australian Wagyu Association Hall of Fame

Frequently asked questions

Who is Geoff Willett?

He founded Maydan Feedlot at Warwick, Queensland, in 1984 and became an early specialist Wagyu feeder. The Australian Wagyu Association inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2021.

What is Maydan Feedlot?

It was a Wagyu feedlot at Warwick that opened with four pens in 1984 and was sold in 2017 with at least 77 pens of premium Wagyu.

What did Geoff Willett do for AusMeat marbling scores?

He worked with AusMeat to add marble scores 7, 8 and 9 so higher Wagyu grades could be recorded, according to Beef Central and the AWA.

When did Geoff Willett enter the Wagyu Hall of Fame?

The Australian Wagyu Association gave him its Hall of Fame award in 2021 at its annual conference.

Sources and further reading

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

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