October 6, 2003

Wilder Cattle Transported to South Korea

The Grass Cattle Systems cattle feed lot has shipped 773 head of feeder cattle to South Korea, becoming the first American operation to do so.

The beef cattle were shipped from Wilder to The Dalles, Ore., where they were loaded aboard a Danish-registry ship bound on a three-week trip to Korea.

Although U.S. dairy cattle have been exported there before, the feeder cattle shipment is a first for the domestic livestock industry. South Korea gets most of its cattle from Australia.

"It's more and more of a world market and South Korea is a growing nation where beef consumption is on the rise," said Doug Mikelson, Grass Cattle manager.

"I think this could be an ongoing operation several times a year," he said.

In South Korea, the half-ton steers will be placed in feedlots for another 8 to 10 months.

Mikelson said that like the Japanese, South Koreans prefer more highly marbled or fattier beef, and therefore the cattle will be kept on feed longer than they would be in the United States.