Here Ya'll go...lol. Jassy think hubby might enjoy these?

[EastTexasGal]

Here ya'll go....thinking that Jassy's Hubby could use these on their Ranch. Just have to teach the ponies to look down.




The Advantages of Owning Miniature Cattle
by Professor Emeritus Richard Gradwhol

At last count there were twenty-six breed categories of miniature cattle in the International Miniature Cattle Breeds Registry. Miniature cattle are either selected reproductions of the older animals or are a result of several crossbreed programs. These crossbreed programs have the advantage of creating heterosis (higher performance levels) in their progeny. Whenever you cross one distinct breed with another the results can be an animal with outstanding performance characteristics.

Miniature cattle are continuing to gain in popularity as farm size continues to shrink. The day of the one hundred to five hundred acre family farm has just about come to an end. Today the two, five, or even ten-acre family homestead farm is becoming more common. Smaller cattle breeds are particularly well suited for these small acreage farms for several reasons.

Small cattle are easier on the land, equipment and facilities. Those of us who once had large cattle remember the constant work on fencing, barn repairs, and hours mending broken equipment. The small animals just don’t have the bulk to do much harm. Pastures seem to stay greener longer because these miniature cattle weigh less and their hooves are smaller. Equipment maintenance is rare and you don’t need the heavy-duty equipment.

It’s much easier to maintain a small herd as opposed to a solitary animal. Some folks with small acreage farms purchase one large animal to raise their own beef. Cattle are herd animals. You need more than one. A solitary animal just does not do as well as two or three together. With the small breeds it’s possible to put two or three animals in the same area that you might put just one large animal. This is much better for the animals.

More animals per acre is the key here. Because you can raise more animals in the same amount of space beef production is twice to three times as much. It takes about five acres to raise two large animals, depending on where and on the pasture available. On the same area you could raise one or two animals per acre with one of the small cattle breeds. It doesn’t take a computer scientist to figure out total beef production is much greater with the smaller cattle.
These smaller cattle are twenty-five percent more efficient in terms of feed conversion than their larger counterparts and therefore eat much less. About one-third the feed is typical. Miniature cattle come closer to a families needs than large commercial beef. One beef per locker is a lot more desirable than raising more beef than you need. Miniature cattle can also be a great investment and at the same time be helpmates with the grass and brush. They are also much less intimidating and easier to handle.

The truth of the matter however is that they make great pets. Most owners of these great little animals would probably never consider them for beef purposes. Because they are easy to work with it is very easy to give them names and develop bonding relationships. Let’s see, on our miniature cattle farm we have Little Red, Blue Girl, Green Girl, Misty, Snuggles, Little Lady, Violet, Happy, Danny Boy, Nutmeg and quiet a few others. All the girls are expecting so we will have quiet a few more. Have we eaten some of our miniatures? Yes we have. You can’t keep all the bulls. They do produce excellent quality meat. One piece of advice if you are going to use one or two for beef, don’t give them names.

International Miniature Cattle Breeders Society 25204 – 156th Ave. S.E.
Covington, WA 98042
Phone: (253) 631-1911
Fax: (253) 631-5774
E-mail: info@minicattle.com
Website: www.minicattle.com

[PureCountry]

Disgusting! That's what that is. Miniature horses were the rage a couple years back because all these acreage owners that commute in/out of the cities could have some cute little pony in their pasture. All the while mindless to the fact that that cute little pony left unchecked would overgraze their 2-5 acre lot to the point where they had to buy hay in mid-summer to sustain the poor thing!

Now, it's miniature jerseys or belted jerseys, as I saw in an ad in the last AcresUSA magazine. What a crock!

[IL Rancher]

This fella... Mom always told me if you can't say anything nice than don't say anything at all..

So I am not going to say anything at all.

[EastTexasGal]

LOL...I aint showed my dad yet. I bet I get a good lecture on a waste time and money! I got offered one of them mini horses...I think they are CUTE ;) but I got a lecture there as well..now granted I do know what it takes to feed lmao...but if you seen the little wagons they pull...its cool!! I want a mini 8 up team and a Freight wagon lol..

IL...now you would never say anything bad, would ya?? I know you are just the sweetest mild mannered guy on here ... lol.


I knew the article would get a rise...lol. Just see a pasture full of big dogs grazing. How about them T-Bones? or Sirloins?? bite sized??

LOL..ya'll have a great day.

Easty

[IL Rancher]

Easty, I own Dexter cattle, they are mostly worthless except people spend money on them and they can be fun to steer wrestle if one decideds it is having a bad day. Richard Gradwohl used to raise them as well and was on the board... I am stopping now before I get started, long fuse but once it goes it goes.

And yes, I am told that I am extremly mild mannered for the most part although not nearly as much as I was 10 years ago. Might not look it but if you ever saw me at a party I would be the guy sitting in the corner petting the dog on the head or talking to the 80 year old grandfather or mother... I am shy to a fault for the most part.

[Cal]

Maybe the UN, in it's infinite wisdom, would only blame them for a miniature amount of global warming.

[Jassy]

Oh sure Easty...I can just see a few thousand head of them little critters running on this place...NOT! Hubby believes in bigger is better..lol that's why our horses, cows, dogs, cats, and deer are all fat! Thanks but no thanks...

[Badlands]

"Professor Gradwohl is an entrepreneur, educator, financial advisor, and miniature cattle breeder and owner. He holds several degrees including two masters' degrees, a Masters of Business Administration and a Masters of Science. He also holds the esteem title of "Full Professorship" which is significantly more prestigious than a PH-D. He has authored and published many management articles for various industries. His style of writing is down to earth and easy to understand. He and his wife Arlene have together started, owned and operated a total of sixteen successful businesses. Having been a college professor for 27 years he is now Professor Emeritus. His areas of teaching expertise are as a Professor of Marketing, Entrepreneurship, Salesmanship and Personal Finance. He retired five years ago and has since devoted full time to the raising, breeding and development of new breeds of miniature cattle. "


That just about says it, don't it?

Better marketing than some kinds of meat.


Looks like he slipped into the college ranks when one could still stick around with a MS degree long enough to make tenure as a full professor.

Badlands

[EastTexasGal]

Well think now I will keep my fingers silent..lol. IL...I still have to just think about the size of steaks and crack up.

They are cute yes they are....just hate to be last one in that pyramid.

Was just hoping to find humour in a long rainy day...

Yall be good!!
Easty

[IL Rancher]

The steers we had processed where in the 350 or so pound hanging weight.. I think one was 300 and one was 350... Same year we killed a hog that weighed in at something like 350 live weight. His pork chops were bigger than the Dexter steers T-bones... Meat was good on the steers and the hog and the good thing about the steaks being so small was you could cut them thick and not end up with a 32 ounce steak.. I tend to eat too much anyways so it was a way to limit consumption for me.

Nothing wrong with having some fun... There was a page called minioxen.com once and it was a hoot.. Don't know a darn thing about the guy but he had these 350 pound cows of all sorts of shapes and colors.. Don't know if the animals were usefull at all but they were for all get up cute and different.. Did you ever see the video on the seeing eye pony? It was one of those minihorses and they tought it to be a seeing eye dog for someone who was allergic to dogs... Was the goofiest thing I have ever seen and I would love explaining that one when you had to go grocery shopping.

[Jason]

Figure out the cost per pound of killing a 350 pound yielding steer vs a 750 pounder.

$38 a head to custom kill any size animal here.

10.8 cents a pound for the lil one, 5 cents for the handyweight.

[EastTexasGal]

I tend to think your Dexters are bigger than the mini's in this article. Cuz they were no bigger than a big dog. Tried to save the pic, but it wont let me do it. But, it was on the Acreage Magazine website.

IL...I am always open to learning, so I pulled up another web site with info. For some reason I did not put your Dexters in the mini breeds..but, guess they are. Just the pic they had in the magazine sure looked smaller.

http://www.minicattle.com/entry.cfm

So I apologize if I stepped on your boots....but still get a giggle. I can just see me putting a mini steak on my dads plate after he is use to eating what we raise here.

Still friends ??

Easty