VULCAN, ALBERTA — In August 2017, Jasmine Entz first laid eyes on a calf that would become a global sensation. The calf, named Beef, was born on a dairy farm in Vulcan County, Alberta. Entz described the moment, saying, "He looked at me and I looked at him and I thought: that one’s cute." After asking her boss for permission, she took the calf home once he was weaned from milk.

Entz, now 29, had always dreamed of having a steer she could ride. However, she never anticipated that Beef would grow to be taller than a pickup truck and weigh as much as a rhinoceros. The Guinness World Records recognized Beef as the tallest living steer, measuring 1.95 meters (six feet five inches) tall, surpassing the previous record held by an Oregon steer named Romeo by one centimeter.

At eight years old, Beef last weighed in at 1,100 kilograms (2,500 pounds) during a measurement taken two years ago. Entz noted that Beef has continued to grow, as evidenced by his inability to fit in his trailer earlier this year. To sustain his size, Beef consumes about 45 kilograms of hay daily, costing Entz approximately $400 a month. "I was always told that steers never stopped growing. And I was like, 'That’s got to be a lie,'" she said. "Except here we are, at eight years old, and he’s still growing."

Beef belongs to a breed typically raised for meat, but he was never intended for that purpose. Entz began training him to pull a cart and later to be ridden. By the time he was two, she was riding him, which brought her immense joy. However, after an injury, she decided to give him a winter off and has not saddled him since, partly due to the need for customized tack to fit his large frame.

Over the years, friends suggested that Beef's size might qualify him for a record. Now, he spends his days grazing on the farm alongside his companions, including a white cow named Josie, a horse named Talent, and over 50 miniature goats. "He literally lounges. That’s the best way to put it — he doesn’t do much of anything," Entz said.

As fall approaches, Beef's appetite for pumpkins becomes a highlight. Last year, he devoured an entire pickup truck full of post-Halloween pumpkins in just three hours. "He sees a pumpkin coming towards him," Entz remarked, "and he lights right up."