Farms downsize with miniature cows

Ali Peterson brushes out the winter coat of a miniature Hereford cow on a ranch near Tekamah, Nebraska.

[Jack]

Will Big Macs get smaller now?

[semper39]

Fidel Castro had this idea years ago. Of course he wanted the cows so small that people could keep them in their apartment to provide their own dairy products. True story. Of course Fidel was always nuts.

[Sheila]

This is really interesting. I'll be looking for them at the State Fair this year. I'd like to learn more about them.

[myself]

"Herding cows the size of schnauzers but they're cattle..."

[swen rettel]

you get them because the regular size eat to much. think about it you sell a 1000 lb bull you get a price for a 1000 lb. bull a 500lb. bull you get a price for 500 lbs. it seems to me if you want to make the same money you would have to have twice as many bulls you might as well have fewer 1000 lb bulls. am i missing something.

[Fred]

Yo, Swen - read the article again.

Let say...

A "normal" cow weighs 1300 lbs... eats 100 units of food/day, or needs 2+ acres of land to graze. Produces 750lbs of meat.(2:1 ratio of weight to meat produced).

Mini-cow weighs 750 lbs. Eats less than 50 units of food/day, or needs 1 acre to graze. Produces 500 lbs of meat.(1.5:1 ratio of weight to meat produced)

Do the math - the mini cows produce more meat per pound than the larger cows, and use less food/grazing in the process, AND grow to market-size in less time.

The cows we see today are the result of very selective breeding to increase their size - they are almost twice the size of their ancestors from 200-400 years ago.

Bigger is NOT always better, especially considering the environmental impact they have. I hope we see more mini-cows!

[carnivore]

swen rettel wrote:

you get them because the regular size eat to much. think about it you sell a 1000 lb bull you get a price for a 1000 lb. bull a 500lb. bull you get a price for 500 lbs. it seems to me if you want to make the same money you would have to have twice as many bulls you might as well have fewer 1000 lb bulls. am i missing something.

Nope, less skeleton. A full size steer is nothing but bones from the knee down. same for a larger rib cage. This makes sense. And, because if the smaller size, they can be grass fed - that means the meat is healthier for you too - higher Omega 3-6 ratio. And, no corn means less need for antibiotics.

[reality]

carnivore wrote:

<quoted text>
... And, because if the smaller size, they can be grass fed - that means the meat is healthier for you too - higher Omega 3-6 ratio. And, no corn means less need for antibiotics.

L0L!!!

You think "taller" cattle can't reach the grass?

Corn doesn't mean antibiotics! I was raised on a farm, we fed cattle corn and didn't use antibiotics.

[Fred]

Corn-feeding cattle is not a good thing. Their stomachs and digestive system are designed for grazing on grasses, not eating hard grains like corn. That's not to say they can't eat it -- it's just not the best thing for them, and can cause other problems.

Look it up sometime - corn feeding is an economic decision, not a biological decision based on the health and dietary requirements of the animal.

And yes, I know of what I speak. We also raised cattle.

[Da Duke]

LMAO, Does This Mean My Steak's At Gibson's are going to be Smaller ?

[fenster]

Da Duke wrote:

LMAO, Does This Mean My Steak's At Gibson's are going to be Smaller ?

what it means is that we will have to get smaller too, just like those "hobbit" humans on the flores island in indonesia

[swen rettel]

ok, thanks for the info.

[reality]

Fred wrote:

Corn-feeding cattle is not a good thing. Their stomachs and digestive system are designed for grazing on grasses, not eating hard grains like corn. That's not to say they can't eat it -- it's just not the best thing for them, and can cause other problems.
Look it up sometime - corn feeding is an economic decision, not a biological decision based on the health and dietary requirements of the animal.
And yes, I know of what I speak. We also raised cattle.

"hard grains like corn"?? If you also "raised cattle" you'd know that the corn is usually ground up making it easier for cattle to digest.

Corn feed beef tastes much better than grass fed. Grass fed beef is tough.

[marie]

i want one, theyre cute!

[moveinon]

I want one too! It could live in the yard and give milk. What a cool idea.

[Independent Voter Joliet]

Fred wrote:

Yo, Swen - read the article again.
Let say...
A "normal" cow weighs 1300 lbs... eats 100 units of food/day, or needs 2+ acres of land to graze. Produces 750lbs of meat.(2:1 ratio of weight to meat produced).
Mini-cow weighs 750 lbs. Eats less than 50 units of food/day, or needs 1 acre to graze. Produces 500 lbs of meat.(1.5:1 ratio of weight to meat produced)
Do the math - the mini cows produce more meat per pound than the larger cows, and use less food/grazing in the process, AND grow to market-size in less time.
The cows we see today are the result of very selective breeding to increase their size - they are almost twice the size of their ancestors from 200-400 years ago.
Bigger is NOT always better, especially considering the environmental impact they have. I hope we see more mini-cows!

Ya and the environmental impact is FERTILIZER.. However, I must say I live in Joliet Township and have an acre of land.. I could get one of these and raise my own Beef.. have Fertilizer to sell as well as enough for my garden.. and dairy products..

[Independent Voter Joliet]

Fred wrote:

Corn-feeding cattle is not a good thing. Their stomachs and digestive system are designed for grazing on grasses, not eating hard grains like corn. That's not to say they can't eat it -- it's just not the best thing for them, and can cause other problems.
Look it up sometime - corn feeding is an economic decision, not a biological decision based on the health and dietary requirements of the animal.
And yes, I know of what I speak. We also raised cattle.

I agree, and the beef use to have a better texture and flavor.. People can't even totally digest whole corn.. and it USE to be economically a good decision however now the price has gone up on corn since we also use corn for more than just food like a gas additive..

[Independent Voter Joliet]

reality wrote:

<quoted text>
"hard grains like corn"?? If you also "raised cattle" you'd know that the corn is usually ground up making it easier for cattle to digest.
Corn feed beef tastes much better than grass fed. Grass fed beef is tough.

Not true on the CORN fed cattle.. that is why beef in other countries tastes better..

[lina]

reality wrote:

<quoted text>
"hard grains like corn"?? If you also "raised cattle" you'd know that the corn is usually ground up making it easier for cattle to digest.
Corn feed beef tastes much better than grass fed. Grass fed beef is tough.

I'm no expert, but I believe that cows are not meant to eat corn. They are built to eat and digest grass. Because humans decided that it would somehow be better for them to eat corn (cheaper and easier for farmers?) now cows need to be pumped with antibiotics and other medications. It's a stress on the cows, the environment and humans. Just because it tastes better doesn't mean that it IS better.

[Tough Love]

Independent Voter Joliet wrote:

<quoted text>
Ya and the environmental impact is FERTILIZER.. However, I must say I live in Joliet Township and have an acre of land.. I could get one of these and raise my own Beef.. have Fertilizer to sell as well as enough for my garden.. and dairy products..

The environmental impact is also methane, and you'd be smelling a lot of it if you try to do this with one acre. And the manure must also be composted before you can use it for fertilizer, which requires space. You can spread it, but only if you have rotating pastures.

If you're only getting one, you'll have to decide which it's going to be -- beef or dairy...

Believe me, the set up costs and time involved doing something like this can make for a pretty expensive gallon of milk or steak. You will appreciate it more though.