by Wesley Harris
Cattle rustling may sound like a crime from the Old West, but a recent arrest in Morehouse Parish shows livestock theft remains a modern law enforcement problem in Louisiana.
A 51-year-old Bastrop man was arrested last month by inspectors with the Livestock Brand Commission of the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry after an investigation involving three registered Highland cattle.
The investigation began March 4 after brand inspectors received information that the cattle had allegedly been sold without their owner’s permission. Investigators said Michael Shane Duckworth advertised the animals on social media and sold them to someone in another state, keeping the proceeds.
Brand inspectors worked with the Morehouse Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Mississippi Agriculture and Livestock Theft Bureau during the investigation.
Duckworth was arrested on three counts of theft of livestock and an additional charge of resisting an officer. He was released on bail and his case is pending. The cattle were later resold in another state and have not been recovered, according to LDAF.
Despite its name, the Livestock Brand Commission does considerably more than keep track of the marks ranchers put on cattle.
Created in 1944 and operating within LDAF, the commission is charged with protecting agricultural property and investigating farm-related crimes. Its personnel investigate livestock theft involving cattle, horses, hogs, sheep, and even less conventional livestock such as emus, ostriches, turtles, and exotic animals. They also investigate thefts of farm machinery and equipment.
And brand inspectors are not simply agricultural employees gathering information for local police.
Louisiana law gives commissioned livestock brand inspectors statewide law enforcement authority for their assigned duties. They are commissioned through the state’s Department of Public Safety and Corrections and have authority comparable to State Police in enforcing laws within their jurisdiction. They can investigate crimes, obtain and serve warrants, apprehend suspects, and work with other law enforcement agencies.
That authority can be particularly useful in rural investigations that cross parish—or state—lines, as the Bastrop case demonstrates.
“Our Brand Inspectors work closely with local law enforcement and our partners in neighboring states to investigate livestock theft and other agricultural crimes,” Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Mike Strain said following the arrest.
One of the commission’s traditional responsibilities remains important: maintaining Louisiana’s livestock brand records.
A registered brand provides a way to identify ownership when livestock are lost or stolen. Louisiana permits owners to register brands for cattle, horses, and sheep, as well as tattoos for hogs and dogs. The commission maintains those records and publishes the state’s official brand book every five years. The current edition is the 2025 Brand Book.
Modern livestock identification increasingly includes electronic technology, but the old-fashioned brand remains one means of connecting an animal to its owner.
The recent Morehouse Parish investigation also illustrates how agricultural crime itself has changed. An animal stolen decades ago might have been driven or hauled away and sold at a livestock market. In the Bastrop case, investigators allege the cattle were advertised on social media and sold across state lines.
The crime may be an old one. The methods are not.
Louisiana’s Livestock Brand Commission maintains a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-558-9741 for reports of livestock theft, farm machinery and equipment theft, and other agricultural crimes.
