Dick Gradwohl wanted a bustling cattle ranch. Unfortunately his five acre spread in Washington lies in now suburban Kent County and local zoning laws restrict his herd to just two animals over 500 pounds.
In a unique solution to this zoning restriction, Gradwohl started breeding smaller and smaller cattle.
His Happy Mountain Miniature Cattle Farm boasts a herd of 22 heads, each animal smaller than 475 pounds and shorter than 42 inches at the shoulder. (A full size Angus bull might weigh more than a ton.)
And the one animal that approached the 500-pound restriction last year was sent to a local packinghouse. Gradwohl has not yet figured out how to address that the zoning ordinance does not permit the slaughter of cattle at his ranch – but he no doubt will.
