CATTLE RAISERS COMMUNITY
Of things that concern cattle raisers…
MEMBER NOTES
Investigations By Claude Koontz, Association Promotion Committee chair
D
URING THE TEXAS AND SOUTHWESTERN CATTLE RAISERS AS- sociation (TSCRA) Summer Meeting in June, we
asked the attendees to give 3 reasons they believe TSCRA is focusing a great deal of time and money on growing the membership. The responses can be categorized into 3 broad areas. We addressed the fi rst response, Infl u- ence, in last month’s column. This month, we focus on the second response – Investigations. First, we begin with some history. TSCRA was found-
ed by 40 cattlemen in 1877 to combat cattle rustling. There was a common interest among ranchers at the time to arrest cattle thieves and bring them to justice. The origins of today’s special rangers date to that fi rst
meeting. The special rangers became peace offi cers in 1893 and remain the backbone of TSCRA today. The special ranger’s primary responsibility is assist-
ing with the investigation of livestock thefts and other ranch-related property losses. The special rangers may also inspect cattle shipments from individual ranches, when requested, before movement to other ranches or feedlots in or out of state. The long-term statistics prove the effectiveness of the special rangers’ execution of these duties:
• Total number of cases: • Total cattle recovered:
2005 - 2015 10,213 35,839
• Total amount of property recovered: $49,114,564 • Restitution ordered:
$18,713,214 10 The Cattleman September 2016
By any measure, very impressive statistics, yet TSCRA
receives no Federal, state, or local government funding to support the special rangers or their investigative work. The special rangers and their work are funded in part by membership dues. However, by law, the special rangers are required to
investigate all cattle and ranch-related theft whether the victim is a TSCRA member or not. As an economist would observe, there is a tremen-
dous “free rider effect” here. “Free riders” benefi t from the actions of others without contributing to the cost associated with such actions. TSCRA members are subsi- dizing a substantial portion of the ranching community, i.e. free riders, in providing this investigative service. Therefore, we as TSCRA members must endeavor to
encourage non-members to join TSCRA and recognize their obligation to support the organization’s special rangers (investigations) and, as noted last month, sup- port TSCRA’s efforts on behalf of ranchers in Austin and Washington, D.C. (infl uence). Next month, we will consider the fi nal response from
the June meeting’s new member recruitment discussion. In the meantime, next time you attend a cattle sale,
stock show or ranch fi eld day, ask around – identify non- TSCRA members, explain why membership is important to you, and give them an application (which is found every month in The Cattleman magazine). See you at the next TSCRA event in your area!
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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