Bill would create comprehensive digital registry for cattle brands

There are thousands of unique livestock brands in Texas, but no centralized database to keep track of them all. Texas lawmakers could soon change that, however.

A brand is a symbol to distinguish your cattle from everyone else’s. This was especially critical before barbed wire fencing became common, but it’s still important. Brands help law enforcement restore lost or stolen cattle.

In Texas, ranchers have to re-register their brands once every 10 years. This requires a trip to the county courthouse to file the paperwork, in some counties. These records are kept in the county’s “brand book,” which law enforcement can reference if they need to identify the owner of stray cattle.

But that’s not a perfect system, according to Peyton Schumann, senior director of government relations for the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association.

“What happens right now is if there is estray or stolen livestock, the sheriff looks at that brand. If he can’t get to the county clerk’s office to look up that brand, the county essentially has to take ownership [of the animal]. They have to feed, water, and it’s an expense to the county,” Schumann said.

The association created a searchable database of the state’s brands to help their own police officers, who investigate cattle theft and other agriculture-related crimes. But it isn’t comprehensive. So to streamline the registration process and help law enforcement, state Rep. Ryan Guillen has filed House Bill 147 to let ranchers register their brands online. County clerks would then send that information to the Texas Animal Health Commission, which would maintain a digital database.

“This ensures that registered brands are centrally stored in a searchable online database, making them easily accessible to ranchers, law enforcement and county clerks while reducing administrative burdens,” Guillen said at a recent hearing of the state House Committee on Agriculture & Livestock, which he chairs.