More Than 1,100 Head Of Cattle Missing From Braum's Farms Near Panhandle

The 24,000-acre dairy farm is located in Follett, Texas, which is on the border of Lipscomb County, Texas and Ellis County, Oklahoma, near the panhandle.

Friday, March 6th 2015, 5:35 pm

By: News On 6

More Than 1,100 Head Of Cattle Missing From Braum's Farms Near Panhandle

According to the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, 1,121 head of cattle are missing from a dairy operated by Braum's near the Oklahoma state line.

TSCRA Special Ranger Ben Eggleston said employees of Braum's Farms noticed the Holstein and Jersey steer calves were missing during their yearly inventory for 2014.

The 24,000-acre dairy farm is located in Follett, Texas, which is on the border of Lipscomb County, Texas and Ellis County, Oklahoma, near the panhandle.

The missing livestock is thought to be worth about $1.4 million. According to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, cattle thefts cost ranchers about $4.5 million last year in the Sooner State.

12/29/2014 Related Story: Cattle Rustling On The Rise In Oklahoma

The logistics of the heist are unknown and rangers still are trying to piece together clues. Each of the steer calves weighs between 300 and 750 pounds, according to TSCRA. Texas Monthly magazine pointed out a rustling operation of more than 1,100 steer calves that size would take about 30 trailer loads packed full, so it likely would have been a long-term project.

“That would strongly suggest… that the operation was carried out Johnny Cash-style: ‘One Piece at a Time,'” Texas Monthly reported. “It seems highly doubtful that the thieves could have mobilized an immense convoy of giant cattle trucks and hauled them all off at the same time."

The magazine also said the cattle had not been branded or photographed.

Anyone with further information regarding this case should contact TSCRA's Operation Cow Thief hotline at 888-830-2333 or call Eggleston at 806-852-4741. A cash reward of $10,000 may be paid to individuals who can provide useful information leading to the arrest and grand jury indictment. Informants may choose to remain anonymous.