Happy Mountain proposed as Covington city park

Richard Gradwohl has spent the last 42 years building a happy place, and he hopes his legacy will live on in Covington as a park all can enjoy.

The 73-year-old Gradwohl lives on the Happy Mountain Miniature Cattle Farm, a business and a dream. The 5-acre farm is home to a sizable herd of miniature cows, raised by Gradwohl through his breeding program.

Gradwohl spoke before the Covington City Council Feb. 24 telling the members he would like see the city buy his farm and convert it into a park.

There are 26 breeds of miniature cows in the world, and 18 of them were developed by Gradwohl, who was a marketing professor at Highline Community College for 34 years. He retired in 1994 and began working on his farm full time.

Gradwohl and his wife Arlene have lived on the Happy Mountain farm for 20 years. The couple owned a larger farm for 20 years in the Covington area prior to buying Happy Mountain.

With property taxes increasing on the larger farm, Richard Gradwohl began looking for a way to raise beef on a smaller piece of land.

He discovered when cattle were first brought to America from Europe, the animals were small.

“Herefords were developed in England,” Gradwohl said. “Five acres was a huge estate (in England) and the herefords were small and squat.”

Gradwohl took a trip around the U.S. and found a herd of the original European stock in Georgia. He bought some animals and started his operation with “three or four breeds and we followed the (breeding) methodologically of the British.”

As Gradwohl said, his miniature cows are really not miniature, “they are the original, but improved.”

According to Gradwohl his cows weigh about 600 to 700 pounds, and eat about a third of what a large animal would eat. On 5 acres a farmer could raise two full-size beef, but with miniature cattle, about 10 will fit on the same acreage. While two beef would come in at 2,000 to 2,400 pounds, 10 miniatures would weigh in at about 7,000 pounds.

Gradwohl said the miniature cattle give a high yield of meat, which is very tender.

“It is very lean and but tender,” Gradwohl said. “Tenderness is a function of the length of the cell. The length of the cell is short and the meat is naturally tender and very tasty.”

Although Gradwohl is still passionate about the business and the beef, he knows the clock is running. Houses have been have built right to edge of Happy Farm and developers have been approaching him.

“I’m getting to the age where I have to start thinking about things,” Gradwohl said. “We received offers from developers even in this economic climate. They are tempting.”

Gradwohl said a preliminary plat indicated about 48 lots could be built on the property, but a subdivision is not his vision.

“We feel strongly we’ve enjoyed the farm and it is such a beautiful spot,” Gradwohl said. “My thinking is this place would be better used as a city park. Children could be educated about agriculture, particularly relating to animals. I’d rather see that than 48 homes.”

Contact Covington Reporter Regional Editor Dennis Box at dbox@maplevalleyreporter.com or 425-432-1209 ext. 5050.

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