Branding Clinic

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

If you haven't heard, Missouri is having a big problem with cattle thefts in the last few years. It seems like every week there is a new story on the news about a herd getting hit. The extension office has decided to put on a branding clinic to try to curb this behavior. Not many people in Missouri brand, so it makes the theft that much easier. People do not brand because they have never done it or just general lack of knowledge on how to start. The branding clinic is today, at Jackie Moore's place. Jackie Moore is the owner of Joplin Regional Stockyards, and he has a big ranch in Mt. Vernon, MO where he buys small calves (typically 150 to 400 pounds) and doctors them up and then backgrounds them. Anyway, the clinic will teach about how to design a brand (what to do and not do when coming up with a brand), apply for the brand through the department of agriculture, and then order the brand (size, material and such). Demonstrations will be done on burn branding AND freeze branding. We (my husband, myself and our oldest daughter) will be demonstrating how to freeze brand. Jackie set aside calves for everyone to practice on, so anyone who wants to try to brand cattle can do it today. We are pretty excited to be asked to do this, since it is expected to be a huge turnout and the news media and all will be there! So if any of you guys watch the news in Missouri tonight, look for us!!! Our brand is the image in my avatar, and that is what everyone will be branding with today.... fun fun!

 

[chippie]

Very cool! Does your daughter do a recordbook? This is an awesome community service opportunity.
Get someone to take pics to share with us please.

 

[dun]

Saw the sotry about it on the news this morning. That was the first I had heard of it.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Very cool! Does your daughter do a recordbook? This is an awesome community service opportunity.
Get someone to take pics to share with us please.

Thanks Chippie. Yes, she keeps a record book for 4-H and FFA. She is the one that does most of our AI work, and just got hired yesterday to work at the neighbor's dairy breeding there cows and taking care of the calves. She worked at the vet clinic for a year, but the gal she replaced came back from the National Guard duty she was on so she got her job back. My daughter is very busy on weekends with FFA judging contests and shows right now, so she can not work most weekends, so this job will work out great. She is a pretty busy kid with our farm chores, school and a job. Plus, she is only 16!
I have my camera packed, let's see if I can remember to take pics!!!

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Hey Dun, it would be cool if you can make it out, then I would be able to meet you in real life!!!
They clinic was planned a few weeks ago. Lots of people were talking about needing a clinic to educate beef breeders on where to start on branding. We had our county steer weigh in the first Saturday in February, and brought 9 head (to be weighed - yearling weights on heifers and bulls). All are freeze branded, and the extension agent (Eldon Cole) was looking at our brand and asked if we would be interested in helping with a branding clinic. Then the ball just got rolling!!! The hardest part I think was finding a large source of cattle to work with that could be branded for practice. All of the calves we are branding today are steers, so terminal, and the brand will be gone in a year or so. We are bringing the supplies used to freeze brand, someone else is doing the burn brand part.

 

[Dave]

Ahhh, the smell of burnt hair drifting on a spring breeze.......

Reminds me that I have a bunch of heifers to brnad one of these days.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Here is a link to one of the articles I found. It was all over the news, pretty cool! I was so busy demonstrating, I was not able to get my camera out. We were not expecting a huge show (maybe less than 100), but we all thought there were AT LEAST 300 people there!!! They were hanging from the rafters so they could get a good view of what we were doing, and we allowed anyone that wanted to to grab an iron, hot or cold, and brand the cattle.
My daughter did not end of making it; she had a science fair at MSSU, and ended up making it all the way to the top and placing 2nd overall so she could not leave (they kept coming back for interviews). She was bummed she missed it!
Here is the link to one of the write ups:
http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x12210 ... ty-in-area
My picture is there (I am showing our brand to the crowd), and there is a close up of the brand right after it was applied.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Very nice article. Congratulations on the turnout!

 

[cowgirl_jenna]

She is the one that does most of our AI work, and just got hired yesterday to work at the neighbor's dairy breeding there cows and taking care of the calves. She worked at the vet clinic for a year, but the gal she replaced came back from the National Guard duty she was on so she got her job back. My daughter is very busy on weekends with FFA judging contests and shows right now, so she can not work most weekends, so this job will work out great. She is a pretty busy kid with our farm chores, school and a job. Plus, she is only 16!

Sounds like you have a very ambitious young lady there firesweep!! I think if more of this country's youth had this work ethic we'd be in much better shape. When I was growing up, and we got done with our chores, I would go and help our neighbor's and learn how they did things. At first I think they thought I was a real bother, but soon grew to like me lol. Sounds like your daughter will really enjoy working on your neighbor's dairy. I still help my dad quite a bit at the dairy too. The dairy animals have such a different personality then the beef. I tell my family Its nice to get away from the beefers once in a while :lol2:

As for the branding, do you brand an id number too? We have a terrible problem with cows losing their ear tags, and I've thought about branding their id on them.?
Jenna

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Jenna
She is a keeper, that is for sure! She was a bit sad today, she lost her first calf (dairy). But they have almost 100 at a time they are taking care of, so it is bound to happen.
No, we do not brand an ID number, but could if we needed to. A lot of people out here brand the ID number, really big, on the side or rump. We have not had a problem with ear tags getting lost (we use Ritchy), but we do not have a ton of cows so I can ID everyone of them without a tag.
Thanks for the kind words, they are much appreciated!

 

[hillrancher]

F S we were there behind you on the first brand. Worth the time.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

F S we were there behind you on the first brand. Worth the time.

Glad you were able to get some use out of it. You should have introduced yourself as a fellow cattle today member . I have to say I was overwhelmed by the turnout, and glad people are wanting to learn.
Just last night there were two more reports of stolen cattle in our county. One place lost 12 head and not sure how many on the other...

 

[farmboy80]

I know this is a old post. But I was wanting to know where is a good place to get a freeze brand made? Or who to order it from?
Can you just do initials, or does it have to have a symbol as well?

 

[Dave]

I know this is a old post. But I was wanting to know where is a good place to get a freeze brand made? Or who to order it from?
Can you just do initials, or does it have to have a symbol as well?

Brand laws will very considerably by state. I know that in this state it is illegal to apply a brand that is not a registered brand. That would make it illegal to just put your initials on a cow. And without registering a brand you could be applying the brand belonging to someone else to your cow. That would in effect give your cow to them.

 

[farmboy80]

I know this is a old post. But I was wanting to know where is a good place to get a freeze brand made? Or who to order it from?
Can you just do initials, or does it have to have a symbol as well?

Brand laws will very considerably by state. I know that in this state it is illegal to apply a brand that is not a registered brand. That would make it illegal to just put your initials on a cow. And without registering a brand you could be applying the brand belonging to someone else to your cow. That would in effect give your cow to them.

Yep, I know you have to register them with the state. That much I do know. Just not everything else. Lol

 

[True Grit Farms]

I know this is a old post. But I was wanting to know where is a good place to get a freeze brand made? Or who to order it from?
Can you just do initials, or does it have to have a symbol as well?

http://lhbrandingirons.com

 

[farmboy80]

Thanks Grit. Know I just have to see what Missouri requires and design my brand.

 

[chippie]

I bought our irons at http://lhbrandingirons.com/
They have made several custom freeze brands for us.

 

[greybeard]

I bought our irons at http://lhbrandingirons.com/
They have made several custom freeze brands for us.

Haven't seen you post in a long time. Glad to see you're still lurking about.....

 

[Bestoutwest]

Thanks Grit. Know I just have to see what Missouri requires and design my brand.

Here in Idaho, you have to submit 6 designs in case the one you want is taken. Submit first, order second. What I've learned, too, is that the more simple in design the brand is, the easier it is to apply. I don't know if this is the same for freeze branding, but in ID we have to do a fire brand and the simpler the better.