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Science & Technology | |
Miniature cows = miniature cow farts = less greenhouse gas | |
2009-05-23 | |
Walking through their lowing herd of several hundred cattle, Ali and Kenny Petersen were like two Gullivers on a Lilliputian roundup. The half-sized cows barely reached Kenny's waist. The ranch's border collie stared eye-to-eye with wandering calves. "Aren't they sweet?" asked Ali Petersen, 52, shooing Half-Pint, Buttercup and a dozen other cattle across a holding pen. "They're my babies, every little one of them." The Petersens once raised normal-sized bovines on this stretch of Nebraska's rolling eastern grasslands, but with skyrocketing feed costs, the couple decided to downsize. They bought minicows -- compact cattle with stocky bodies, smaller frames and relatively tiny appetites. Their miniature Herefords consume about half that of a full-sized cow yet produce 50% to 75% of the rib-eyes and fillets, according to researchers and budget-conscious farmers.
In the last few years, ranchers across the country have been snapping up mini Hereford and Angus calves that fit in a person's lap. Farmers who raise mini-Jerseys brag how each animal provides 2 to 3 gallons of milk a day, though they complain about having to crouch down on their knees to reach the udders. "Granny always said I prayed for my milk," said Tim O'Donnell, 53, who milks his 15 miniature Jerseys twice a day on his farm in Altamont, Ill. Minicows are not genetically engineered to be tiny, and they're not dwarfs. Instead, they are drawn from original breeds brought to the U.S. from Europe in the 1800s that were smaller than today's bovine giants, said Ron Lemenager, professor of animal science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The Petersens' mini-Herefords, with their white faces and rounded auburn-hued bodies, weigh in at a dainty 500 to 700 pounds, compared with 1,300 pounds or more for their heftier brethren. Big cows emerged as a product of the 1950s and '60s, when farmers were focused on getting more meat and didn't fret as much about the efficient use of animal feed or grasslands. "Feed prices were relatively cheap, and grazing lands were accessible," Lemenager said. "The plan was to get more meat per animal. But it went way too far. The animals got too big and eat so much." Today, there's little room for inefficiency on a modern farm, and that has led some farmers to consider minicows. It hasn't been an easy transition. When the Petersens bought their first dozen animals in the mid-1990s, friends told them they'd lost their minds. Some ranchers said they'd have trouble selling consumers on their mini-steaks. Even their youngest daughter was reluctant to show them at 4-H livestock contests when she was younger. "I got tired of people sneering and hearing the jokes," said Kristie Petersen, now 23. But gradually, a mini-boom in minicows took hold. Today, there are more than 300 miniature-Hereford breeders in the U.S., up from fewer than two dozen in 2000. And there are about 20,000 minicows, compared with fewer than 5,000 a decade earlier, according to the International Miniature Cattle Breeds Registry. Still, the animals represent a minor portion of the 94.5 million head of cattle in the U.S. this year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. | |
Posted by:GolfBravoUSMC |
#20 Moo-ronic idea. |
Posted by: gorb 2009-05-23 23:33 |
#19 This is gonna kill the Finish the Steak and the Meal is Free restaurant bizness. No, they will change it to Finish the Cow and the Meal is FREE! |
Posted by: Mad Eye Slavigum5641 2009-05-23 23:21 |
#18 This is gonna kill the Finish the Steak and the Meal is Free restaurant bizness. |
Posted by: ed 2009-05-23 22:04 |
#17 OW OW, Sea! Wish I'd thought of that. |
Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-05-23 19:26 |
#16 Mini-moo. |
Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-23 18:18 |
#15 interesting, Sea. Herding software! You can drag and drop your mini-cattle anywhere on your mini-ranch! |
Posted by: Frank G 2009-05-23 18:01 |
#14 I just clicked on this ad that came up in the sidebar. LOL. |
Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-23 17:42 |
#13 So, does this mean no more 32oz. Porterhouse Steaks? |
Posted by: Deacon Blues 2009-05-23 17:32 |
#12 An old cowboy went ATVing out one dark and windy day Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way When all at once a midget herd of half sized cows he saw A-gamboling through the ragged sky and up the ozone depleted draw Their brands were still wet paint and their hooves were made of recycled steel Their horns were pink and shiny and their CO2 breath he could feel A bolt of fear went through him as they gamboled through the sky For he saw the Riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry Yippie yi Ohhhhh Yippie yi yaaaaay Eco Riders in the sky Their faces lifted, their eyes were blurred, their shirts all soaked with wine He's riding hard to catch that herd, but he ain't caught 'em yet 'Cause they've got to ride forever on that range up in the sky On ATVs snorting fire As they ride on hear their cry As the riders cruised on by him he heard one call his name If you want to save your soul from Obama a-riding on our range Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride Trying to catch the Midget herd, across these endless skies Yippie yi Ohhhhh Yippie yi Yaaaaay Eco Riders in the sky Eco Riders in the sky Eco Riders in the sky |
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2009-05-23 17:27 |
#11 For years, KFC has bitterly fought the rumor that they somehow grow pseudo-chickens in test tubes or other such nonsense: http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/kfc.asp Of course, PETA types love such horror stories. So why not put them at odds with the MMGW crowd? Say that scientists are genetically engineering legless cows that are "hormonally adjusted" to generate milk, then after a while are ground up for meat, all in the name of "fartless cows" that will not cause global warming? |
Posted by: Anonymoose 2009-05-23 17:20 |
#10 Better to raise grass-fed Bison and be done with it. They are better for you, cost less to raise and do far less damage to the grass land and waterways. Taste better too. |
Posted by: remoteman 2009-05-23 14:46 |
#9 Way up west (way up west), there's a story told (there's a story told) about a bunch of cowboys. Tiny and bold. (tiny and bold) Ridin' tall. (ridin' tall) Tall in the saddle! Herdin' cows the size of schnauzers but they're cattle! YIPPIE AYE AY, MINI SIRLOIN BURGERS! YIPPIE AYE OH, MINI SIRLOIN BURGERS! YIPPIE AYE AY, MINI SIRLOIN BURGERS, HA! Well, that's for those of you who never experienced the joys of Jack-in-the-Box fast food restaurants. You have to see the TV commercial that goes with these lyrics to believe it. |
Posted by: Abu Uluque 2009-05-23 14:19 |
#8 That's an awfully clean cow, are these show miniatures? not much beef on that midget. |
Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-23 13:39 |
#7 Calm down, Jim. AoS |
Posted by: Steve White 2009-05-23 13:22 |
#6 If you really want to eliminate the cow fart problem, run the biggest cow fart (Obama) Out of office. |
Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-05-23 13:09 |
#5 If you had 200 head before do you need 400 "minis" to get the same product output and whats the real cost (other than a bad back for the dairy farmer)? It seems like this is another "hobby farmer" pitch (goats, emu, llama, ect) suited to small operations or hobbyists. It will be interesting to see if these work out long run. |
Posted by: tipover 2009-05-23 13:00 |
#4 I prefer real sliders. Speaking of which, it's near lunch time and there's a White Castle nearby... |
Posted by: Spot 2009-05-23 11:39 |
#3 Smaller burgers. |
Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-23 11:11 |
#2 |
Posted by: Seafarious 2009-05-23 11:11 |
#1 Smaller carbon hoofprint |
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2009-05-23 10:02 |