MILAM COUNTY, Texas (KRHD) — The Milam County Sheriff's Office has a free program designed to help landowners quickly reunite with their escaped livestock, identify downed fences, and protect their property from theft.
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The Livestock Placard Program, which began in July 2022, now serves 240 landowners across the rural county. The initiative provides numbered placards that landowners post on their fences, allowing deputies to quickly identify and contact owners when animals escape.
"We signed up for it and we've been a big supporter of the program since then. I can't say enough good things about it for the whole county," said Lana McDermott, a Milam County landowner whose family owns cattle.
McDermott has experienced the program's benefits firsthand.
"We have had a couple of cows get out and we've had a deputy call us and say, hey, you've got a cow out, and, that has helped tremendously," McDermott said.
Brett Eberhart with the Milam County Sheriff's Office explained how the system works.
"So if we come out to livestock calls or loose livestock that are out wandering around, they'll have that placard that is posted up on their fence. We're able to quickly scan that number, know the number that's on that placard, and we can from there quickly reach out to a landowner and get their animals back where they belong and get that fence repaired quickly," Eberhart said.
The sheriff's office handles more than 100 animal calls per month, making the program essential for efficient response times.
"Anything we can do to, you know, minimize that and obviously create any, I guess reduce the number of issues that we see as far as animals and fences and whatnot, and then to even further that to help any of our landowners with their animals, that's even better," Eberhart said.
The program extends beyond livestock protection. Landowners can etch their placard numbers into equipment like trailers, helping law enforcement trace stolen property back to its rightful owner.
"It doesn't matter how big a place you own — if you've got animals, if you've got equipment, it's very important to reach out to the sheriff's office, get one of these placards because you are safeguarding yourself," McDermott said.
McDermott noted the program also helps prevent cattle theft and suggested surrounding areas like Falls County and Burleson County could benefit from similar initiatives.
"When someone runs through your fence, cattle get out on the road, and in the summertime in the fall when there's not much grass, cattle are trying to get out and get in the bar ditches," McDermott said.
As Milam County continues to grow, Eberhart emphasized the importance of spreading awareness about the program's availability.
Landowners interested in joining the program can call the sheriff's office or fill out a form on their website by clicking here.
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