According to an International Livestock Identification Association report filed March 29, 50 cows with new calves were stolen from Paradise Valley in Humboldt, Nev., between Feb. 15 and March 29.
The Ninety Six Ranch moved the herd to new pasture and found 50 pair were missing. The cows are Hereford and black Angus crosses with 96 on the left hip and a year brand underneath. The cows are also earmarked with a swallow fork on the left ear and underslope on the right ear. The cows have purple and yellow ear tags and bell waddles. The cows are 3 to 10 years old and weigh approximately 1,200 pounds. None of the calves are marked because the cows were calving.
Nevada Department of Agriculture Marshal Justin Ely is working on the theft, but declined to comment on an active investigation.
In a Facebook post, Tammy Lee, who is a rancher near Ninety Six Ranch, said several operations in the Paradise Valley have numbers of cattle missing.
Lee wrote 50 to 60 bred cows from a Ninety Six field along Shelton Lane in Paradise Valley were stolen. The cows were calving, so it was impossible to know how many calves were by their side.
“They were put in the field first part of February and discovered missing about three weeks ago. The state brand inspector Justin Ely is investigating this and sale yards in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, California and Idaho have been alerted, as have livestock inspectors and the state police,” Lee wrote. “They were not my cattle, I just reposted,” Lee said, in an effort to help get the word out to look for the pairs.
GETTING THE WORD OUT
She asked that everyone share this information because the more eyes that are looking, the greater chance of finding the cattle and solving the case. She has been successful, the post has been shared in most states and Canada.
Lee’s post claimed three other operations in the area have 350 more head missing, but Nevada Department of Agriculture Public Information Officer Rebecca Allured said no other reports have been made.
“This might be a good time to reinforce (per our Animal Industry Division) that cattle theft needs to be reported to our department,” Allured said
“These cattle are gone,” Lee wrote. “This is not a case of a bad count, bad fence or a few head taking off early after green. They are not in the Paradise Valley, period. These cattle are gone.”
Cattle theft is still a problem in the United States. A January arrest in Tulare County, California. involved the theft of $1.5 million worth of cattle from seven victims. Justin Tyler Greer was arrested in Texas in February for cattle theft in St. Landry Parrish, La.
The penalty for cattle theft varies from state to state. The U.S. statute sets out a penalty of $10,000 or more in fines and up to five years in prison or both. States have expanded that statute to be punishment by the head or for a specific number of head.
Anyone with information concerning this case can contact Marshal Justin Ely with the NDA at (775) 388-7726.
Allured stresses that producers who find cattle are stolen should make reports to state brand inspectors or the state department of agriculture. Reports are the only way to get a government search underway for missing cattle.
