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About East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current | View Entire Issue (March 27, 2015)
OFF PAGE ONE BRANDING: There are currently10,654 brands registered in Oregon Page 10A East Oregonian Continued from 1A ters U and R, which stands for Double M’s original name, the Umatilla Ranch. With spring calving under- way since late January, Dou- ble M began its branding on Thursday, taking advantage of a warm and sunny morn- ing. The cattle will eventually be sold to feedlots across the Northwest, where a healthy 900-pound steer can fetch $2,000 or more. Branding is not required in Oregon, though producers are encouraged to brand as a de- terrent to theft. Cattle rustling remains a concern, Sexson said, especially as prices con- tinue to hit record highs due to drought. “It would be a major con- cern here if all of a sudden we started missing 2-3 calves ev- ery week,” Sexson said. A state inspector must be on hand for all cattle sales at auction or shipments out of state, whether the animals are Staff photo by E.J. Harris The Double M Ranch runs 1,600 cattle on 6,000 acres in the Echo and Stanfield area. branded or not, to verify own- ership. There are 10,654 total brands currently registered with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Double M Ranch runs about 1,600 head of cattle, mostly Black Angus and Sim- mental, on 6,000 acres split EHWZHHQ 6WDQ¿HOG DQG (FKR The rule of thumb is to brand when calves are about two months old, before they be- come too large to handle. As it is, it takes four peo- ple working together to brand a roughly 200-pound calf at Double M. Mike and Patsy Taylor, who live on the ranch and manage operations, check off each animal by its tag number, which keeps a record of the individual’s sex, color, birth date and weight. It was Patsy Taylor’s grandfather, Irvin Mann Sr., who bought the land in 1944 that was expanded and devel- oped into Double M Ranch. The Taylors, along with their sons Jack and Sam, have car- ried on the family operation now through four generations. Just before each calf is branded, Patsy Taylor injects them with vaccinations for a variety of infectious bacterial diseases, known as clostridial diseases. The shots are given under the skin at the base of the neck, which is held still by a locking bar at one end of the table. “They’re just like little kids getting vaccinated,” Tay- lor said. “When they’re six months old, they get another round of vaccinations and, when we wean them, they’ll get another.” 7KH WDEOH ÀLSV XS ZLWK D clang, allowing Sexson to brand right over the top of the calf, now on its side. Not only is the brand design unique, but its placement on the ani- mal must be consistent. Taylor compares the brand to someone accidentally grabbing a hot frying pan or touching a hot stove. The burn doesn’t last long, but it’s enough to sear away the hair follicles and leave a perma- nent mark. “They forget, though,” she said. “They’ll move on to big- ger and better things after a while.” Despite their bleats of protest, Taylor said all their calves are handled calmly with the least amount of stress possible. “They work really hard for us, so we have to work real- ly hard for them,” she said. “Without them, we don’t have a livelihood. You have to re- spect them.” ——— Contact George Plaven at gplaven@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4547. Friday, March 27, 2015 Heifer drive raises scholarship money The Umatilla County Cattlemen’s Association is seeking heifers donated by local producers to sell at auction, with proceeds to go toward college scholarships for qualify- ing high school students. The goal is to bring in 50 heifers and raise $100,000 for the UCCA Scholarship Endowment Fund. All expenses to feed, manage and sell the heifers will be donated by project supporters. Residents can also donate cash that will be used to support the purchase of heifers for sale. For more information about the Scholarship Heifer Drive, contact UCCA President Clint Sexson at 541-609-0167; Randy Mills at 541-278- 5404; or Patsy Taylor at 541-561-5288. SCOTT: Matthew Hermann got life in prison for Key’s murder Continued from 1A in court along with a few other supporters. He did not address the court. Scott also did not make a statement. Davis said her client was nervous about speaking in public. Luukinen noted he and Scott spoke at length during plea negotia- tions in February, when Scott expressed his wish that the crimes had not happened and offered condolences to Key’s family. Scott, Jacob Lee White, 20, and Matthew Hermann, 22, in late January 2013 forced their way into Key’s home in the small communi- ty of Umapine to rob her. She was 79 and lived a vibrant life on her own, according to her family. White told police Hermann was the ringleader. The intruders bound Key to a chair with duct tape, and Her- mann beat her unconscious. She died six months later at the age of 80. Luukinen negotiated plea deals with each defendant. Hermann last month pleaded guilty to Key’s murder and to ¿UVWGHJUHH DVVDXOW /XXNLQ- en sentenced Hermann to life in prison, but he will be eligi- ble for parole after he serves 40 years. White in June 2014 plead- HGJXLOW\WR¿UVWGHJUHHURE- bery and burglary. He was facing a sentencing Friday. Umatilla County Circuit Court records show the state pushed that back until April 21. ——— Contact Phil Wright at pwright@eastoregonian.com or 541-966-0833. GUNS: About 40 percent of Oregon households have guns the state’s households have guns. The measure would re- The checks focus on con- quire private buyers and victed felons, people under sellers who aren’t related to indictment, the mentally ill, visit a licensed gun dealer drug users, people under for a background check. That restraining orders, dishon- goes further than previous at- orably discharged veterans tempts to expand background and people in the country il- checks, which required only legally. Not all states report that the seller call an Oregon mental health records to the State Police hotline to check system. the buyer’s background. According to the gun con- “This bill allows me to trol advocacy group Oregon JLYH D JXQ WR D ¿UVW FRXVLQ Alliance for Gun Safety, the who I may have not seen in state’s background check 40 years without a back- system denies about 1 per- ground check. But I can’t FHQWRI¿UHDUPVDOHV give it to my best friend,” Two years in a row, the said Kevin Starrett, head of Legislature failed to pass the Oregon Firearms Federa- bills requiring background tion, a gun-rights group. checks for private gun sales. Oregon already goes fur- But last year’s election saw ther than federal law in re- Democrats up their majority quiring background checks at by two seats to 18-12 in the gun shows under an initiative Senate, in part because of a approved by voters in 2000. push by a leading gun control “Now, since 2000, the In- group backed by billionaire ternet has become an online Michael Bloomberg. marketplace for guns, where The gun control group tens of thousands of guns Everytown for Gun Safety are available to Lord knows contributed $75,000 last year who without a background to Democratic Sen. Chuck check,” said Dan Gross, pres- Riley of Hillsboro, who de- ident of the Brady Campaign. feated the Republican incum- Federal law requires bent who opposed expanded background checks for sales background checks. They by licensed gun dealers, but also donated $250,000 to not at gun shows or private former Gov. John Kitzhaber, transactions. Checks are who was a longtime support- done through the National er of expanded background Instant Criminal Background checks. Check System, a database According to state re- maintained by the Federal cords, Everytown contrib- Bureau of Investigation. uted nearly $600,000 on the According to the bureau’s 2014 election, $450,000 of online report, the database which was in contributions to did over 43,000 checks in candidates and committees, Oregon for January and Feb- and $110,000 on other grass- ruary. About 40 percent of roots efforts. Continued from 1A Get Unlimited Everything. Plus $50 back. Switch to a Simple Connect Prepaid Plan for just $45/mo. with Unlimited Data, Talk and Text, including 1GB of high-speed data. Plus, for a limited time, get a $50 U.S. Cellular® Promotional Card to use toward the latest accessories or your next month of service. Things we want you to know: Add. fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by svc. and eqmt. 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