Add Branding To Legal Montana Website Forms For Free

The best rule to follow is to keep the image simple. Simple brand designs are easier to read and are less painful for the livestock. A brand design consists of two or more symbols.

Recording a Brand To record a livestock brand, please complete the enclosed application signed in ink by the applicant or applicants and return it to the Department of Food and Agriculture with the $70.00 recording fee.

Each character should be (in outside measurements) 4 inches by 3 inches for calves less than one year old and 6 inches by 3 1/2 inches for older cattle. The face width of the branding iron should be 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch wide, with the surface edges slightly rounded.

Go to your state's brand registration office and ask to see the listing of already registered brands. This will give you some ideas, as well as show you what's no longer available. The brand registration officer will help you in the design process. Choose letters, numbers, or symbols to create your brand.

To record a livestock brand, please complete the enclosed application signed in ink by the applicant or applicants and return it to the Department of Food and Agriculture with the $70.00 recording fee.

Based on field trials some people have stated that they would prefer a 5-inch brand to a 4-inch brand. However, if more than one number is used on a brand, the 4-inch size is most often preferred.

The books are often available in county libraries or state archives; some state livestock boards may search their records for a fee. If you're lucky, the state will have digitized historical brand books.

Branding Irons Suggested size of letters, figures, or characters: Calves - 3" tall and wide per character with a 1/4 inch face. Cows - 4" wide and tall per character with a 1/4 inch face. Horses - 2" tall and wide per character with a 1/4 inch face.

You can view the list of current and active brands, listed by county, on our website: . Montana Livestock Brand applications are reviewed in the order they are received. The Dept. of Livestock strives to provide the most current and complete brand information available.