In the past two years, Bev Boriolo, 72, and her husband, Don, have built a herd of 12 miniature Hereford cattle less than 4 feet tall on their 30-acre parcel near Plymouth, Calif., just one instance of a small but growing subset of the livestock business: little cattle for little ranches, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday.

The miniature breeds are cute, keep the weeds down, and, as Bev Boriolo told the Bee, "they're as sweet as the dickens."

She thinks their size -- about one-third of a regular bovine -- is the reason behind their pleasant disposition.

"They think that since they're looking up at you, they have to do what you tell them," she said.

Right now, the money in micro-beef is in breeding. Raising and selling mini-cows to start a herd can fetch up to $3,500 per animal, the Bee report said.