AGRICULTURE
Cost of registering brands for horses, sheep, cattle increases
THE AGENCY Idaho State Police
THE ISSUE The Idaho State Brand Board, which oversees registration and inspection of livestock brands, plans to raise some fees to cover business costs amid a declining number of registrations and inspections.
WHAT’S PROPOSED Twenty-five years ago, Idaho had almost 26,000 registered brands. Today it has about 18,000. A variety of issues, including drought, economic hardship and the rising cost of feed and fuel needed to manage herds, have reduced the number of businesses that register brands. The board is part of the Idaho State Police because inspectors are peace officers who can write citations. They also register brands and perform inspections. The proposal would increase the renewal fee for a brand to $100 from $75 every five years. A lifetime brand inspection — in which an animal is inspected once, after which its owner can sell the animal or take it out of state without reinspection — would increase to $35 from $25 per animal.
The board’s operations are financed by these fees, not tax dollars. The increases could net the board $107,000 per year. The rates went into effect in July in a temporary rule, but they must be approved by the Legislature, which convenes in January.
HOW YOU CAN BE HEARD Direct comments to Col. G. Jerry Russell, director, Idaho State Police, 700 S. Stratford Drive, Meridian 83642; phone 884-7003; fax: 884-7090
TO LEARN MORE Go to the Nov. 7 Idaho Administrative Bulletin at http://adminrules.idaho.gov/.
