| Livestock identification |
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| Mission |
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"We prevent livestock theft by denying a market for stolen animals
through recording of brands and inspection of animals."
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| Brand history |
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The art of branding started with the Egyptians 4,000 years ago. Spaniards introduced branding to the New World as early as 1519 when the vaqueros of Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez burned three crosses into the hides of his cattle. Like other Spanish brands, the Cortez brand was patterned after a coat of arms.
By the time branding became established in the United States, symbols changed and soon a new language evolved around the brand to include Running W's, Rocking R's, Flying J's, bars, slashes, rails and boxes.
The earliest known Oregon brand belonged to Russell Dement who settled near Myrtle Point around 1849. Dement used the brand, not on cattle, but on five elk calves he used as pack animals. He later traded the elk for beef cattle. Dement's "D" brand is still in use today.
As cattle business grew, look-alike brands sprung up and cattlemen started fighting over brands. The result was a law in 1894 requiring that all brands be registered with county clerks. The law established a record of brand ownership in Oregon; the rancher who registered his brand first had the right to use it.
Disputes crossed county lines, however, and in 1915 a new Oregon law put brand recording in the hands of the state veterinarian. Brands became valid statewide instead of by county. To settle disputes, the 1917 legislature created a Brands Adjusting Board. The Board functioned until 1931 when the Oregon State Department of Agriculture was created. Today, the responsibility for recording and inspecting brands belongs to the Department's Animal Health & Identification Division.
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| Change of address |
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It is critical that the Department be notified of any change of address for a brand owner. Courtesy renewal notices are mailed to brand owners to the last known address. If that address is not current, the notice may never reach the brand owner. Although the Department does make every attempt to locate an owner, sometimes we are unsuccessful.
For any change of address, please contact Donna Fry at 503 986-4681, or send e-mail
Or mail to:
Brand Recorder
OR Department of Agriculture
635 Capitol St NE
Salem, OR 97301-2532
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| Found or estray livestock |
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To report estray or found livestock send e-mail. or contact Jack Noble, Field Operations Manager at 503-986-4681.
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| Livestock districts/open range |
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What do I do about somebody´s livestock coming onto my property?
For this purpose "livestock" means cattle, all equidae (horses, mules, donkeys, asses, etc.), sheep, goats, and swine-- but does not include pot bellied pigs or feral swine.
Our livestock inspectors have no authority to do anything about emu or ostrich, bison, cervids, or other "non-traditional livestock."
For information on livestock districts and open range
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| Livestock Trans. Handbook |
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Created for use by law enforcement offficials, this handbook gives an overview of livestock transportation requirements for horses and cattle. (These are pdf files and may take a while to download.)
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| Lost or stolen livestock |
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For this purpose "livestock" means cattle, all equidae (horses, mules donkeys, asses, etc.), sheep, goats, and swine but does not include pot bellied pigs or feral swine.
Our livestock inspectors have no authority to do anything about emu or ostrich, bison, cervids, or other "non-traditional livestock."
Send e-mail to report Lost or Stolen Livestock or contact Jack Noble, Field Operations Manager 503-986-4681.
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| One day horse sale license |
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Temporary one day horse sale licenses for any person desiring to conduct a temporary one day sale to which the public may consign horses for sale by auction for public bidding and where such sale does not exceed one calendar day may make application to the Department for a temporary horse sale license.
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| Payments |
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To apply for, record, activate, renew, or change ownership of your Livestock brand.
Mail to: Brand Recorder
OR Dept of Agriculture
PO Box 4395 Unit 16
Portland, OR 97208-4395
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| Transfer brand ownership |
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When a brand owner dies, Oregon law requires that an official Transfer of Ownership application must be completed within six months of the date of death. This applies whether the deceased was the sole owner or was one of two or more registered owners. By law, if the transfer is not completed within six months after death of an owner, the decedent's ownership rights (and consequently, the ownership rights of the heirs) are terminated.. To maintain continuous ownership of your brand, notify this office and file the Transfer of Ownership application as soon as possible after the death of a brand owner. Contact the Brand Recorder at 503-986-4681 or send e-mail for details of the process for your specific situation.
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