In the US and other countries outside of Japan, crossbreeding Wagyu with convential cattle is common practice. Out of the estimated 30,000 Wagyu-influenced cattle in the US, 85% are crossbred. This has created four classifications of Wagyu , the most common being F1: F1 = 50% Crossbred Wagyu
F2 = 75%, F3 = 87.5 and 100% Wagyu
The first import of Wagyu cattle, only four bulls, came to the US from Japan in 1976. Two Black full blood bulls and two full blood Red bulls. In 1993, Mannet Company Ltd. exported the first shipment of full blood females along with two more bulls. The animals in this shipment were Michifuku and Haruki 2 and the three heifers Suzutani, Rikitani, and Okutani. Several other small shipments made it out of Japan and in 1997 the last shipment arrived 1 black bull Yasufuku Jr. and 7 black heifers and in 1997, Japan put a cattle export ban in place, with less than 250 Wagyu were exported to the US, most of which were Japanese Black.
