knabe - You seem to be laughing at miniature cattle. If I were you, I would do a little research before I made a fool of myself.
Mini's have a lot of advantages that traditional cattle do not.
1. Easy to handle - beginners and elderly folks can safely handle a majority of these cattle. Making them marketable.
2. Smaller = less acres per cow - With land being at a premium price, you can run more head per acre so pounds per acre is actually a bit higher than traditional cattle
3. Carcass quality and size - While the steaks you mentioned might be smaller, many high end restaurants are putting a premium on smaller steaks because they are more easily marketed to the "eat out crowd". Same price as a huge steak only smaller portion.
A. With higher beef prices, families are also looking for smaller portions of protein. They do not want to eliminate but can not afford those "16 inch ribeyes" you seem to be proud of.
B. Lets face it, eating a pound of beef at a meal is bad for your health. So again, a smaller portion size is better and therefore more marketable.
C. Smaller carcasses allow young, small, or elderly families to purchase an entire beef without sacrificing any cuts, but at the same time, allow them to store it at home in a freezer, and afford it.
4. They make GREAT beginning show projects for new youth.
5. Their size allows more people to use them as "backyard" livestock, and therefore raise their own food. While you may think this is bad, I say, "Great, now you might understand what a livestock producer goes through."
To answer the original question: Yes, his value has decreased, but marketing him as a "starter package" is a good idea, as is marketing him to an elderly producer, or someone who has a bunch of heifers to breed. You might also consider selling him to a FFA/youth group who have a school or youth project. Donating him to such a group might also be something to consider.
Good luck. He is a nice looking bull.
