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Panel backs doubling brand-recording fee to $50 after association says current fee is lowest in nation
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Summary
The House Agriculture Committee approved a bill to raise the five‑year brand-recording fee from $25 to $50 after the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association argued the fee has not been adjusted in 22 years and that renewal-year revenues must cover a multi-year operating cycle.
The House Agriculture Committee approved Senate Bill 21,39, which would raise the five‑year brand-recording fee from $25 to $50, after the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association (NDSA) said the association’s brand services operate on predictable renewal cycles and the fee has not changed in 22 years.
Julie Ellingson of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association testified the fee increase is aimed at offsetting rising fixed costs (wages, benefits, postage and insurance) and preserving the program’s ability to serve producers. She explained that the brand-recording program has a cyclical revenue pattern: renewal years generate significant receipts while subsequent years operate at a deficit and draw on reserves accumulated in renewal years. Ellingson said the association conducts annual audits and that some spreadsheets circulated during the hearing conflated separate divisions (brand inspection, brand recording, estray) and therefore misrepresented available reserves.
Producers who testified in support told committee members that branding and recording provide practical protections against theft and help reclaim animals, sharing anecdotes where recorded brands allowed state brand inspectors to intercept cattle at out-of-state sale barns. Several committee members said the $25 increase over a five‑year cycle represents modest insurance for producers.
Opponents proposed amending the frequency of renewals (one amendment to extend renewals to every 10 years failed on a roll call). The committee ultimately voted 13–10 in favor of the bill as amended, and approved the measure for referral with a recorded majority. Brand-recording staff described staffing levels and the temporary help required in renewal years; NDSA said the product known as the estray fund is separate and earmarked to attempt to return proceeds to rightful owners subject to statutory time limits.
If enacted, the bill would raise the fee paid by brand owners when recording or renewing a brand; the association said the change would help the program manage its cyclical workload without raising costs every renewal cycle.
