We became intrigued with small cattle after first reading an article about miniatures in 2004. We are not tall folks and the idea of smaller cattle was very appealing! We decided that this would be a perfect new business for us during “retirement”. Since that time we have relocated from Southern California to the Gold Country in Northern California. Our 40 acre ranch is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, an hour drive north-east of Sacramento.

We began our plan by setting up our ranch property and attending Ag classes at the local community college. We investigated each of the small cattle breeds. In 2007 we drove around the country, through 17 states, visiting ranches – meeting breeders and learning about each of the breeds. After a lot of research we decided that Lowlines are perfect for us!

We choose the Lowline breed for several reasons:

• We wanted a good beef producer and Lowline Angus is premium beef. ~True Angus beef with smaller cuts~

• We found out that Lowlines are fairly resistant to eye problems due to their black color.
• They almost always calve unassisted – a very important fact since we are new to this business! (We found that even ‘old hands’ like this idea.)

Lowlines are very docile. With 12 grandchildren, we like livestock that are not intimidating. Our grandchildren, and all of our guests, love to feed them ‘treats’.

We bought our first 4 fullblood females, three of them bred, in Idaho in the fall of 2007. Happily, we have been growing steadily since then and have loved the journey! We have continued getting educated about this thriving industry. We have become “California Beef Quality Assurance Certified” producers and believe strongly in the benefits of grass-fed beef.

We raise a small herd of Katahdin Sheep for feeder lambs and freezer meat. Katahdins do very well on a 100% grass-fed diet. They are a hair sheep that need no shearing. A winning combination!

To maintain our property, we keep a herd of Boer cross goats. Always with the sheep & goats is Sugar, our wonderful Great Pyrenees guard dog, who protects them from predators. Sugar and our calves are great friends, too.

Now we are loving this fun and rewarding business. We enjoy the cattle, the other livestock and especially the associations with other breeders that have come about in the course of beginning this new venture!