Working Ranch April/May 2025

Caring for calves before, during, and after branding.

B Mark

eef producers continue the branding tradition to prevent cattle theft and provide assurance that brand inspectors can trace misrepresented cattle back to the legitimate owner.

KC Olson, Ph.D., Professor of Range Cattle Nutrition and Management at Kansas State University says, “In the states where I’ve worked, even if the brand is not your registered brand, there’s a paperwork trail that establishes your purchase of an animal with a particular brand mark.” Producers use a hot iron heated by propane or electricity or a freeze iron. The hot iron marks the animal’s hide, while a freeze iron damages the animal’s hair follicles, causing the hair to grow back white on a black animal. “They both Wear gloves when using hot or cold branding irons. Electric hot irons have safety devices to pre vent electrical shorts if water or urine are present. Avoid applying a hot brand to a thick winter hair coat or a wet hair coat. “The brand marks you put on the calf should be simple characters at least four inches tall. When heated, the branding iron should be the color of ashes; black is too cold and won’t produce a readable imprint, and glowing red establish an animal’s identity or ownership,” Olson explains. “They differ in techniques used to create the mark.”

RICK HUTTON

APRIL / MAY 2025 I 51