Reminder: Brand Assessment Fee is Due

The reminder letters have gone out to the nearly 33,0000 brand owners in the state reminding them that the brand assessment fee for the five-year assessment fee are due in 2017 and must be paid by June 30th.

Colorado Department of Agriculture Brand Commissioner Chris Whitney says for keeping your livestock brand current is critical.

Whitney: "They are important for a lot of reasons. The most obvious one certainly where cattle are concerned because well over 90 percent of cattle owners brand their livestock. Only 50 percent of horse owners do. We tell people brands are your livestock's return address. So the value of the brand — among other things — is that in the event that your animals are lost or wander off, stray or are stolen. Then the brand puts us in a position to get that animal back to you or if the animal is stolen and sold; puts us in a position to get the proceeds of that sale back to you. So in that sense, they are important. And they are very important in the aspect of disease traceability."

In fiscal year 2016 brand inspectors traveled over 1.1 million miles inspecting approximately 3.8 million head of livestock

If you can't locate your original letter or need more detail visit colorado.gov/agbrands.

If you don't think you've received the letter or you've moved, give the Brand Office a call at 303-869-9160.