The Miniature Hereford has been developed by over 30 years by selective breeding of stock that was originally imported to the US from England in the early 19th Century.  The Miniature Hereford breeding program was started by the Largent family in 1974, in Texas.  Largents initially concentrated on breeding the most efficient cattle suited to the local conditions of his ranch. After working on size reduction for several years with efficiency in mind they were able to offer the first Miniature Herefords for sale on the open market in 1991.