In the West, having cattle on the best grazing land sometimes means crossing state lines. This can be troublesome for a number of reasons. But in recent years, states have worked out processes for "commuting cattle" to allow movement without too much paperwork. Colorado has agreements with several states, and one more has been added — Nebraska.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture's state veterinarian's office and Nebraska Department of Agriculture's state veterinarian's office now have a commuter agreement process established for cattle moving between the states to graze. Colorado now has commuter agreements with New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Kansas and Nebraska.

Source: Colorado Department of Agriculture

Colorado State Veterinarian Keith Roehr noted in a statement: "These Commuter Agreements create flexibility for ranchers by allowing the livestock disease testing to take place during the normal production cycle, instead of immediately prior to interstate movement. It's also important to have a simple process for cattle to be able to travel to the most productive, nutritious grazing land."

With the agreement process, Nebraska State Veterinarian Dennis Hughes noted that the process "gives cattle producers in Colorado and Nebraska more flexibility for cattle grazing, while still being in full compliance with each state's animal import requirements."

The agreement allows ease of movement only for cattle from breeding herds, including breeding bulls, cows and their calves. The animals being moved must be accompanied by a certificate of veterinary inspection, a brand inspection certificate issued prior to movement and a copy of the commuter cattle agreement.

All adult commuter cattle shall be officially identified with an approved ear tag. Ranchers interested in a livestock commuter agreement can contact the state veterinarian's office for their respective states. Forms should be turned in two weeks before anticipated travel time."

Source: Colorado Department of Agriculture