Brand Inspection/livestock permits

[kato]

Your family must have been in a pretty law abiding pert of Scotland. My highland ancestors made cattle stealing into an art. Lol.

We have an old family joke that we got kicked out of Scotland for stealing sheep. When we went to Scotland and met up with family there, we found out that this is what they still say about anyone who moves away or in to the area. That has to be the longest running joke ever. 185 years and counting.

But back to the topic. The brand inspectors in Manitoba only look at cattle heading out of province. Auction marts are the only places I know of that they work out of. I suppose some of the bigger buyers have access to them, but not your ordinary producers. I don't see branding becoming any more prevalent in the future. The last time we sold branded feeders, we talked with the inspector. He spends more time looking for brands than recording them. I think that day ours were the only ones that were branded out of almost a thousand head.

[littledoggie]

With the price of livestock these days, having a brand is insurance. One year we had some idiot operator leave a locked gate to a lease site open and our whole year's income wandered out and scattered around the countryside. Right when we were haying too. The yearlings were not branded that year. It took us the better part of a week to round them all up. Yeah they had CCIA tags, but what good does that do if they wander into someone's yard who is an opportunist?

I kept a log of the time we spent and sent the leaseholder a bill. They did pay it - but what a pain in the ass that was and stressful knowing they weren't branded (or dna'd)

[T.N.T.]

$800 a day,isn't enough money to make me even think about being somebodys full time toby.I know a few guys that went out to the patch with money signs in there eye's,yes they made lots of money and where are they now alcoholics and coke heads,but there still in the patch and thats all that matters to them.It's a shame because some of those guys were really good guys before they went to the patch,now when you talk to them it's like talking to a shell and their minds are fried.Yup good thing they made all that money so they can enjoy retirement,to bad a lot of them won't enjoy retirement because they will be dead!!

[ALLFARMER]

Talked with a picker operator today, asked him why he had no swamper...he says o he went home a few days ago but for what their paying me thats ok I can climb off and hitch the lines myself. He makes $1400/day.

Drugs & booze are not prevalent with the guys I work with. These guys have nice vehicles, buy themselves what ever toys they like. 2 guys just bought new Harleys. Just got word we will now have to do drug testing to keep Encana happy...no one at the shop was concerned at all.

Kind of strange to be in a shop where at pay day they all stand around and cant wipe the smiles of their faces.