Mini-Cows Help Ranchers Buck Rising Costs

Facing higher feed costs, ranchers aren’t having a cow—they’re merely downsizing them, the Los Angeles Times reports. Mini-cows have become the latest trend on farms around the country, because many eat less and are easier to handle, but produce 50% to 75% the rib-eyes and fillets of their normal-sized brethren. “We get more sirloin and less soup bone,” said one rancher.

“People used to look at them and laugh. Now, they want to own them.” The smaller calves, which can fit in a person’s lap, are naturally petite; ranchers have had to rework their estates to accommodate the mischievous creatures. Still, “a regular cow is just too much animal for me," said one 5-foot-2 farmer. “Besides, these are adorable.”
(More cows stories.)