Big Timber, Montana — One of the first and few producers of tiny and micro cows in Montana is Two Cow Mini Cattle in Big Timber. According to owner Matt Kleinsasser, demand for these cattle has increased significantly in recent years.
Because they are little bulls that were bred to produce miniature cows, Kleinsasser’s bulls differ from the majority of bulls you would generally encounter.
“A mini cow is anything under 46 inches and then a micro mini cow is 36, anything under 36 inches tall,” said Kleinsasser on Sunday.
The breeding of miniature cows by Kleinsasser began as a family hobby.
“Then we kind of just saw that there was a demand for it, people are wanting these mini cows,” Kleinsasser said.
There are 50 individuals waiting to buy a miniature cow, and the family is barely keeping up with demand.
“All of our customers, they use them as pets, they’re pets. They’re people who own five or six acres and want a cow but don’t have a space for a big cow,” said Kleinsasser.
The majority of his clients are from outside the state and across North America.
“This last year we had a handful of Montana customers. We’ve sent calves to Canada, we’re all over the western United States, Oregon, Washington, Idaho,” Kleinsasser said.
Due to the fact that Two Cow Mini Cattle is one of the few tiny cow breeders in the area, business has been brisk since it began in 2017.
“Financially, I can sell 20 cows for the same amount of price as someone who sells 100 head of calves in the fall,” said Kleinsasser.
According to Kleinsasser, a herd of regular-sized cows consumes more area and resources than his mini-cattle farm.
“We have 27 head of cattle, and we can run it very well on 200, 300 acres. Whereas if I had 27 head of standard cattle, I’m going to need 5, 6, 700 acres of property,” Kleinsasser said.
The family had no idea that their casual pastime would develop into a substantial enterprise.
“As of right now, it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down. I mean, we just continue to have people call us every day and ask us about things and it’s just been a great opportunity for all of us,” said Kleinsasser.
On their website and Facebook page, Two Cow Mini Cattle provides more information.
