Nebraska Statutes 54-198. Recorded livestock brand; requirements; in-herd identification; prohibited act
(1) Any person may record a brand, which he or she has the exclusive right to use in this state, and it is unlawful to use any brand for branding any livestock unless the person using such brand has recorded that brand with the Nebraska Brand Committee. A brand is a mark consisting of symbols, characters, numerals, or a combination of such intended as a visual means of ownership identification when applied to the hide of an animal. Only a hot iron or freeze brand or other method approved by the brand committee shall be used to apply a brand to a live animal.
Terms Used In Nebraska Statutes 54-198
- Cattle: means bovine cattle only and does not relate to or include any other kind of animal. See Nebraska Statutes 54-178
- Freeze brand: means a mark or brand that is created on a live animal in a depigmentation technique, whereby the pigment-producing cells in the skin of an animal are destroyed by the application of intense cold to the skin area. See Nebraska Statutes 54-181
- Livestock: means any domestic cattle, horses, mules, donkeys, sheep, or swine. See Nebraska Statutes 54-183
- mark: means a physical identification that includes, but is not limited to, visible characteristics on an animal such as a natural, accidental, or manmade blemish that sets apart a particular animal from all others. See Nebraska Statutes 54-184
- Person: means any individual, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, association, firm, or agents or servants of an individual or business entity. See Nebraska Statutes 54-187
- State: when applied to different states of the United States shall be construed to extend to and include the District of Columbia and the several territories organized by Congress. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
- Year: shall mean calendar year. See Nebraska Statutes 49-801
(2) A hot iron brand or freeze brand may be used for in-herd identification purposes such as for year or production records. With respect to hot iron brands used for in-herd identification, the numerals 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 in singular or triangular position are reserved on both the right and left shoulder of all cattle, except that such shoulder location for a single-number hot iron brand may be used for year branding for in-herd identification purposes, and an alphabetical letter may be substituted for one of the numerals used in a triangular configuration for in-herd identification purposes. Hot iron brands used for in-herd identification shall be used in conjunction with the recorded hot iron brand and shall be on the same side of the animal as the recorded hot iron brand. Freeze branding for in-herd identification may be applied in any location and any configuration with any combination of numerals or alphabetical letters.
(3) It shall be unlawful to knowingly maintain a herd containing one or more animals which the possessor has branded, or caused to be branded, in violation of this section or any other provision of the Livestock Brand Act.