Here's a new mini cattle breed that joins other popular mini breeds that have caught on in recent years.

Miniature Kentshire cattle were developed by Richard Gradwohl at the Happy Mountain Farm, Kent, Wash. It's a dual purpose breed that's half Hereford and half Irish Dexter. The cattle stand just 36 to 48 in. tall and are all black with a white face and a large black circle around each eye.

"Kentshire miniatures are a short beefy animal with the best qualities of both the Hereford and Dexter breeds, which means that it's an outstanding producer of both high quality milk and naturally tender beef," says Gradwohl. "The animals are easy to handle and very friendly and make wonderful pets. They require only a small amount of area and don't need a lot of feed or barn space. They're ideal for small acreage farmers who want a small family milk cow that can also produce good-tasting beef calves.

"The breed is named after Kent, Wash., and is one of the first dual purpose miniature cattle breeds developed in the U.S. Kentshire herds are being developed in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Washington, Oregon, and California."

Gradwohl, who's the director of the International Miniature Cattle Breeders Society (IMCBS), says the Kentshire has been accepted for registration with the Miniature Cattle Breeds Registry. "The registry now has 18 different mini breeds including the American Beltie, Australian Kyrhet, Angus, Barbee, Belfair, Black Baldie, Brangus, Covingtonshire, Dexter, Durham/Shorthorn, Happy Mountain, Hereford, Highland, Jersey, Kentshire, Kingshire, Spanish Las Manchas, and Zebu. We've developed 8 of those breeds at our own Happy Mountain farm."

The IMCBS holds an annual all breeds miniature cattle show and exhibition in July of each year. It also publishes a bimonthly newsletter containing news of miniature cattle breed activities, etc. A breeder's information packet is also available.

Gradwohl says he has Kentshires for sale as well.