We made the decision to enter the cattle business several years before our first cattle purchase in February of 2001. A lot of issues affected our decision. The primary factors were that we had both been raised in rural farming and ranching communities; I having been raised in Southwestern Oklahoma and my wife here in the San Antonio area. At the time, we owned and lived on a 10 acre lot in the sand hills a few miles outside of La Vernia, Texas. We were financially obligated to take employment in San Antonio. We became, and still are, commuters. 

In February of 2000 my wife went to the San Antonio Stock Show to make contact with the Hereford cattle breeders who were attending the show. While walking through the show barns she happened across the Miniature Herefords. She stopped and talked to John Johnson from Straitside Ranch, of Sequim, Washington. When I got home from work that evening she couldn’t wait to tell me about the Miniature Herefords. She had the idea that we would raise polled Herefords as our primary breed and she could raise about 10 miniatures on the side as a novelty. This seemed fairly harmless to me at the time. 

February of 2001 came around and this time we went to the San Antonio stock show together. While we were looking around the cattle barns we came across the Miniature Herefords. When I first saw them I was pleasantly surprised. They were not as small as I had pictured them in my mind. We started talking to Roy Largent, from Point of Rocks Ranch in Fort Davis, Texas; and made a tentative deal for the purchase of two Classic frame 1 heifers that were confirmed bred. Having not taken the proposition too seriously, we retuned home. Laura was very excited about the getting the heifers so I relented and let her purchase them realizing the 10 acres we were currently living on were not enough for the Polled Herefords we were ultimately going to raise when we moved to McCoy. Knowing my wife’s love of animals I knew this would get her involved in the cattle business and secure my future plans.  

On that fateful day in February of 2000, when my wife first told me about the Miniatures, my thought was of an animal along the lines of a Miniature Horse, something one would purchase for a pet more than for the beef industry. After having seen the Miniatures I realized their primary purpose would be for the beef industry rather than the pet market. With this in mind I began researching the marketability of the Miniature Hereford. As I researched, I attempted to compare the pros and cons of the breed and found there were a lot of pros and almost no cons. The only cons I could find were not within the breed itself but rather in other people’s misconceptions of the breed. One of my favorites is that some people think they are dwarves. The American Hereford Association has certified the Miniatures Herefords as dwarf free. My next favorite is, like myself, most people think of miniature cattle as pets. During a conversation I wait for the short pause and then the big question "What do you do with miniature cattle?" My standard response is "You eat them." Then I see the light come on and they realize we are not talking about miniature horses, pigmy goats, miniature donkeys, or potbelly pigs. An 800 lb steer is not that small. Just about the right size for a family of four to consume in a year's time and it will all fit in your average size upright or chest freezer.  

Far be it from me to shun or discourage anyone that is only interested in a Miniature Hereford for a pet. With the inherent gentle nature of the Hereford, the Miniature can make an excellent pet as long as one keeps in mind the potential for accidental injury when dealing with an 800 to 1300 lb animal. Also, always keep in mind that with any type of domesticated animal whether it be dogs or cattle there is a chance of getting a rogue animal. If one is buying a Miniature Hereford for a pet make sure the breeder knows this so they can help you choose accordingly.  

When my wife bought her first two miniature heifers I asked myself "Why miniature cattle?" and now after researching the breed I now ask myself "Why would you have anything else??"