Beef cattle of the rare Wagyū breed thrive in Pärnu County
“First Wagyu cattle were brought from Germany earlier this year, so we’ve already had them on Estonian pastures,” said Marko Hiiemäe, the owner of Sepa Farm and director of Sepa Cattle LLC.
He explained that before acquiring the rare Japanese cattle breed, he and his wife Lisanna did thorough research on the conditions for keeping this breed, and they visited Germany several times to select suitable animals before deciding on the Wagyu breed.
This year’s winners of the Best Farm title from the Estonian Farmers’ Central Union, Lisanna and Marko Hiiemäe, run their farm in the village of Elbu in Pärnu County and have two daughters, Elis Isabella (10) and Katariina (8). Just seven years ago, the young family embarked on farming and became pioneers in beef cattle farming in Estonia, focusing on breeding rare cattle breeds. Their goal is to engage in breed improvement and produce only high-quality beef for consumers.
The farm currently has 40 Wagyu beef cattle. Additionally, two breeding bulls were brought from Germany.
Only purebred cattle are raised.
There are many myths surrounding Japanese Wagyu cattle, such as keeping them immobile and feeding them beer or giving them beer massages. Consumers are willing to pay hundreds of euros per kilogram for this meat. However, the Hiiemäes do not experiment with such practices; instead, they raise their animals freely and naturally on Estonian pastures, with open barns during the winter months, feeding them hay and organic silage.
This year’s farmer and beef cattle farmer, Airi Külvet, acknowledged that Marko and Lisanna Hiiemäe brought a Wagyu herd from Germany’s best breeders. “The Hiiemäes are extremely diligent; they absorb new information quickly and are enthusiastic about breeding purebred animals,” noted Külvet.
What motivates them to raise this rare breed? “We chose them because we want to become producers of very high-quality beef, but we may only achieve that in perhaps ten years,” explained Marko Hiiemäe. He added that since they only started farming seven years ago, they are still beginners in farming and are setting new goals for their business for decades to come.
Marko Hiiemäe also works as the CEO of Linnamäe Meat Industry, is a member of the Livonian Cattle Breeders’ Association, and is well-versed in the requirements for meat quality, as well as consumer preferences. Therefore, this family is eagerly expanding the variety of food on our tables to offer new culinary experiences. Their goal is to raise only purebred cattle and sell breeding animals to others as well.
“We made a U-turn and became farmers,” said Lisanna Hiiemäe, who studied psychology and is now responsible for both farm activities and caring for their beef cattle. “We also eat beef ourselves a couple of times a week; for example, our children prefer steak, but our diet also includes poultry, pork, lamb, and fish,” Lisanna emphasized. She added that they also have a flock of about twenty sheep on the farm to maintain the land. Since their daughter is into horseback riding, they also have a horse on the farm.
The Hiiemäes started farming with 20 hectares; now they manage 240 hectares, of which 90 hectares are arable land, and the rest is permanent grassland. This year, they also grew some oats, which were made into silage.
The animals of Sepa Cattle LLC are on pasture for most of the year, following rotational grazing practices. During the winter season, they are kept in the former collective farm dairy barn, which Sepa Cattle LLC acquired at the end of last year. Currently, there are 90 beef cattle in the barn, as the Hiiemäes also raise Limousin and Aberdeen Angus breeds in addition to Wagyu. The animals are housed in one part of the barn, from which they have free access to a spacious outdoor area. This allows them to be outdoors year-round, but they will only have access to pastures permanently starting in the spring.
Marko Hiiemäe explained that they are still building up their herd, but they plan to reach a hundred breeding cows in the coming years. All heifers are kept for themselves, but bulls suitable for breeding are sold as breeding animals. “Definitely, no beef animals will come from this farm before three years, as raising Wagyu cattle takes time,” emphasized the owner. Currently, the farm’s cattle are sold to meat processing plants, and Limousin and Aberdeen Angus bulls are also sold as breeding animals to generate revenue for new investments.
The family plans to renovate the former dairy barn properly, with one half of the barn currently housing the animals and the other half undergoing reconstruction. When this is completed, the animals will have more space and movement in the barn, and the family will have the opportunity to further expand their beef cattle herd.
Airi Külvet has some Wagyu cattle growing in her herd in Jõgevamaa as well. Külvet highlighted that she will be able to offer the meat of homegrown Wagyu cattle as soon as next summer. She affirmed that there is indeed a market for this meat in Estonia. “There are only a few pieces sold at prices of 200 or even 500 euros per kilogram, but other types of meat are also very valuable. No one has to buy it by the kilogram; it’s usually purchased in a few hundred grams,” Külvet explained. She confirmed that if we had thousands of these breed animals growing in Estonia, it might be challenging to market the meat, but there is a market for a hundred or so animals. “Those who raise beef cattle in Estonia do their work with passion, just like us. If you do the work well and thoughtfully, then it’s possible to make a profit in any business,” Marko Hiiemäe concluded.