Beginning in December, reports of missing and/or stolen cattle began coming in from Weld County, Colorado. In an effort to unite producers, livestock groups, and law enforcement, the Weld County Livestock Association hosted a meeting for producers and those in the community on December 22 at the Galeton Fire Protection District.
Todd Inglee, the Colorado brand commissioner, reported at the December 22 theft meeting that there are currently 26 head of cattle from eight producers missing from Weld County. Missing animals are made up of all classes of cattle, from cows to heifer and bull calves.
While Colorado requires brand inspection papers for the sale or transfer of cattle, surrounding states – such as Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska – do not require brand inspections or any proof of ownership when selling or transferring cattle. This makes investigations of cattle theft difficult, because once the thief crosses state lines, there is little stopping them from selling the cattle. When cattle are missing, word goes out to all auction facilities, state patrols, and local police departments in other states to be on the lookout for the missing cattle, but without proof of ownership requirements it is difficult to be sure the cattle were not actually sold in a facility across the state border…