This Year’s Top Fattening Farm for Heifers That Have Not Calved: CEO Lee Dae-hoon of Hanwooae Ranch in Gapyeong

Amid deepening concerns among Hanwoo farmers due to rising feed costs and climate crises such as unpredictable heat waves, a livestock farm has drawn attention by proving the fattening value of heifers that have not calved through advanced feeding management technology combining meticulous data-based breeding improvement and craftsmanship.

The person at the center of attention is CEO Lee Dae-hoon of ‘Hanwooae Ranch’ in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, who won the top honor, the Grand Prize (Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Award), at the ‘29th National Hanwoo Capacity Evaluation Contest Heifer Category Shipment, Slaughter, and Auction Event’ held from June 29 to July 1 at the Bugyeong Livestock Products Auction Market of the Busan-Gyeongnam Pork Cooperative. As this contest concretely demonstrated the outstanding meat quality and market competitiveness of heifers that have not calved through data, it is being evaluated as a new model for diversifying income in the crisis-hit Hanwoo industry.

In this contest, 67 heifers with outstanding genetics from across the country were entered and competed fiercely. Among them, the animal shipped by CEO Lee (28 months at shipment) recorded overwhelming results across evaluation items, including a carcass weight of 497kg, ribeye area of 134㎠, backfat thickness of 14mm, and marbling score, earning the top grade of ‘1++A.’

The award-winning animal was sold at auction for a high price of 51,110 won per kg, totaling 25,401,000 won, astonishing on-site buyers and livestock industry officials. It was a moment that numerically proved the economic feasibility (ROI) of fattening female cattle, which had mainly been regarded only for breeding.

CEO Lee Dae-hoon cited ‘thorough data-based improvement’ first as the secret to the highest honor. Lee emphasized, “The value of Hanwoo does not come from a livestock farmer’s intuition, but from rigorous data-based selection and culling,” adding, “After maximizing breeding values through genomic analysis, it must be combined with the farm’s own differentiated feeding management.”

In fact, at Hanwooae Ranch, genomic analysis is conducted on the 50 to 100 female cattle produced each year, leaving only the top 16 as breeding cows, while some of the rest are converted into fattening cattle through a precise selection process.

Lee’s differentiated feed mixing and ventilation management were also key factors in achieving high-quality meat. Based on raw materials from the Yangju Livestock Cooperative, Lee adheres to a traditional method of personally mixing and steaming 3 tons of feed every day (cooked feed mixing), thereby improving the cattle’s digestibility. In addition, he focused on maintaining a comfortable environment that minimizes heat stress in cattle, such as by constantly operating high-performance Hercules fans to quickly expel livestock gases from the barn.

CEO Lee Dae-hoon said, “We plan to gradually expand the heifer fattening business and the scale of the cattle barn,” adding, “Going forward, I will also take on a new challenge in the steer sector, and my ultimate goal is to proudly win a prize at the ‘National Hanwoo Capacity Evaluation Contest,’ the dream stage for livestock farmers in Korea.”

Meanwhile, the overall average performance of the heifers entered in this contest clearly demonstrates the strength of Korea’s technology-driven livestock industry when compared with last year’s (2025) national average for female cattle compiled by the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation.

These entries exceeded the national average by as much as 96.1kg in carcass weight alone. In particular, they recorded a 100% rate of grade 1 or higher, numerically proving the advancement of heifer fattening technology. The average auction price was also set at 27,463 won per kg, 63% higher than the national average, suggesting that it could become a new solution for increasing farm income.

Last year, the average grading results for female cattle nationwide were a carcass weight of 377.3kg, ribeye area of 88.8㎠, backfat thickness of 12.9mm, marbling score of 4.7 points, and a rate of grade 1 or higher of 64.3% (Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation).

Ha Dong-woo, head of the Hanwoo Improvement Department at the breeders’ association, said, “The heifer contest is an improvement competition attempting new changes in a steer-centered market, and as the contest continues, we are specifying the direction of the event.” He added, “Rather than allowing entries through applications in the same year, which has been a problem during preparations so far, we plan to improve the rules so that applications are received in advance in the previous year and entries can be made the following year.”