Page 16 — The mounTain mail — SaliDa, ColoRaDo — WeDneSDay, aPRil 27, 2011

Branding remains best way to identify cattle in Colorado

Spring branding soon after birth, remains the easiest way to permanently mark animals, especially cattle, for quick visual identification and to protect ranchers from theft and loss.

Tim Canterbury of How-ard, immediate past president of the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, said branding cattle in Colorado began in the mid-1800s as ranching became common in the West.

Brands were first registered and inspected by the associa-tion in 1867.

“The Colorado Cattle Associ-ation was founded because of the need for cattle inspectors and to prevent theft,” Canter-bury said.

He added the association was among the oldest in the U.S. responsible for register-ing cattle and brands.

He said branding remains the best way to identify per-sonal cattle from those of one or more neighbors when they become mixed – especially on large, sprawling ranches.

Branding is typically done once to a few times a year depending upon ranch size and number of calves. It’s easier to brand young calves before they get stronger and heavier.

Canterbury said branding time often includes vaccina-tion and castration of bull calves. Neutering is done by mechanical banding or surgi-cal removal of testicles.

Although ranchers now use generators and an electric branding iron, Canterbury said it formerly was the job of one person to maintain a bed of coals for heating irons.

“It was typical in the early days for ranchers to trade help from necessity,” because of large herds and big ranch-

es, he said.“Now-a-days we see it more

as a social gathering. Neigh-bors get together and move from ranch to ranch and share the responsibility during a season.”

Brands, different for every owner, now are registered through the Colorado Depart-ment of Agriculture Brand Board primarily to deter theft.

By 1885 inspection respon-sibilities were transferred to local counties under quasi-state regulation, he said.

By 1899 brand registration and inspection of brands on cattle bought, sold, or trans-ported were responsibilities managed under the Colorado Secretary of State.

Rick Wahlert, Colorado brand commissioner, said inspectors are designated by counties to patrol brands. Their activities and duties are governed by state statute.

Wahlert said inspectors are present any time there is a change of ownership, if cattle are transported more than 75 miles within the state or are taken out of Colorado.

He said reports are filed when cattle go astray, miss-

ing, wander in with another herd or if theft occurs with the intention of illegal butchering.

Wahlert said about 500-1,000 reports of missing cattle are received annually in Colo-rado. Of those, there might be 2-3 cases in which intentional theft is suspected. Wahlert said inspectors search for signs of trailers.

In cases of wrongdoing, inspectors can issue fines and sanctions.

Wahlert said the brand board is investigating more “white-collar crimes.”

He cited a case in Montana in which a rancher took out a bank loan to purchase cattle for several hundred thousand dollars. When the ranch was investigated, Wahlert said, fewer than 100 head were found.

“Cattle are expensive, but not that expensive,” he said.

Wahlert said 17 states are working with Colorado inspec-tors to curb theft.

He said the Colorado Brand Board is 100 percent cash financed by the cattle indus-try through assessment and inspection fees.

by Kevin hoffmanMail Staff Writer

Photos by Kevin HoffmanSoon after birth, calves like those on the everett Ranch require attention including castration for bull calves, inocula-tion and branding. Family and friends joined to brand about 175 calves april 15.

Friends and neighbors gather in april to help with branding at the everett Ranch. histori-cally, exchanging help with other ranchers was a necessity, but now, cattlemen said, it’s often a social event allowing neighbors to visit and catch up after the winter.

Jeffrey Roberts receives instruction about restraining a calf for branding from owner Brady everett.

Wade Forrester applies a brand while Cody Kuester restrains the calf. Forrester was helping his neighbors at the ever-ett Ranch to identify their cattle with the Tn Bar Cattle Co. brand.

Cody Kuester and his brother Kyle Kuester flip a calf to the ground to restrain it for spring branding on their grandfa-ther’s ranch. For centuries on several continents, branding has been standard for permanent identification of animals.