“Quite frankly, the art of livestock branding is disappearing,” said Dr. Tom Troxel, professor of animal science at the University of Arkansas. Branding as a whole has been on the decline amongst producers over the past few decades.
Brooks Godwin, part owner of the Ft. Smith Livestock Auction agreed, “Branding is phasing out in our region because it takes more time, ear tags are more efficient and it doesn’t hurt or stress the animal nearly as bad.”
Dr. Troxel believes a large factor in branding’s less popular appeal is the fact that branding cattle has been around for centuries – possibly even millennia – and farmers used to run their cattle on common prairies alongside other herds. When it came time to separate and sell the cattle, the brand was the only distinguishing feature to pair the animals with their owners. However, with our established fencing systems in place, most producers don’t find a need to brand for the same reasons as they used to.
Both Godwin and Troxel agreed that the practice is perfectly in order if it’s an established system already in place on a farm or ranch, or if a livestock producer would like to begin the practice. They also agree that if cattle theft becomes more of a problem, they’d strongly recommend branding to producers – and establish it in their own herds as well.
Troxel said, “With the price of cattle growing and economic conditions the way they are, stolen cattle could possibly be on the rise. Branding would help cattlemen identify their stolen cattle.”
The options for branding are hot iron branding and freeze branding.
Troxel noted that, “Freeze branding works very well with black hided-cattle. It kills the cells and the hair grows back white. For other colored cattle, hot iron is the best method. Unlike an ear tag that can be removed, brands are permanent.”
He continued, “The beef quality assurance program recommends not branding across the ribs because that’s where the highest quality of leather comes from. They recommend the brand be placed on the shoulder, hip or down the leg.
Branding is a good practice for identification of lost or stolen cattle. If a producer buys an already branded animal and they brand themselves, they can just brand over the existing brand. If they buy a branded animal and do not brand themselves, they can simply ear mark the animal and continue their operation as normal. In either case, however, a bill of sale should be received to prove ownership in case there’s ever an issue.
Troxel reminded producers that if they decide to brand to be sure to register their brand with the Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission so that their brand has a legal backing. If there is ever a question of ownership, a registered brand has the final say.
He concluded, “I don’t object to people branding cattle at all. I think it’s a deterrent to theft. If a person sees a brand on cattle it will deter them from stealing those cattle. I think it’s up to the individual producer. When you get right down to it, it’s the only way to identify the animals.”
