Member Services

Know Your Brand Committee

By Melody Benjamin

No matter how you slice it, there’s no getting around the important role the Nebraska Brand Committee plays in Nebraska’s livestock business. Here’s a brief rundown of the committee’s players and their functions.

Comprised of the secretary of state and four livestock producers appointed by the governor for a four-year term, the committee is responsible for hiring an executive director who, in turn, hires the staff required for brand recording and brand inspection activities. In 2007, LB 422 was passed, which effectively replaces the secretary of state’s seat on the committee with another livestock producer. In June, the Nebraska Cattlemen Brand Committee met to develop a list of potential committee members to propose to the governor.

The Nebraska Brand Committee does not receive general funds from the state. Instead, revenue comes from user fees in the form of brand inspection fees, brand assessments and recording fees.

The committee has three investigators who also serve as supervisors for their respective areas of responsibility. Training centers are located around the inspection area where new fulltime and intermittent inspectors are trained and evaluated. Fulltime inspectors are on call to inspect cattle from daylight to dark, seven days a week. If they are not on call, they must take annual leave time. Intermittent inspectors work on an as-needed basis.

Early this summer, the state auditor reported that the Nebraska Brand Committee was paying inspectors for hours not worked. Prior to the auditor’s final report, however, the Nebraska Brand Committee took action requiring all fulltime employees to work and document a 40-hour week. If that time was not met, annual leave time would need to be taken.

As producers using brand inspectors, we can help them to schedule their time and make better use of fulltime inspectors. The more advance notice an inspector gets, the better he can plan. Please call the fulltime inspector for your area, listed on this page. If he has a conflict, he will arrange for an intermittent inspector to come.

The upcoming fall cattle runs will require even more coordination, but the Nebraska Brand Committee is committed to making every effort to meet each request for inspection in a reasonable manner. Your cooperation will make everything run even smoother. Your questions or concerns can be directed to the Nebraska Brand Committee office at (308) 763-2930 or by contacting one of the following committee members: Gary Darnall, Linda Andersen, George Cooksley or John Warren.  Y Melody Benjamin is NC’s vice president of Member Services.