Ranchers' brands bought and sold amid rising costs

Thomas Dyekman of Loveland twice passed up the opportunity to sell the title to the historic cattle brand that has been in his family since before the turn of the 20th century. "I chickened out," Dyekman said. The heft of history, a heritage of the Old West with its open ranges and cattle rustlers, was too hard to let go. But his rare, two-character ZL brand, first recorded in 1885, is now on the block. The price tag: $12,000. "My son has the farm now, and he's going to sell it and move to Wyoming," Dyekman said. In Colorado, a brand is private property that can be bought or sold. Some are priced as low as $500. Others, like a set auctioned for charity, fetch as much as $44,000. Assessment fees for a five-year brand registration have nearly doubled in recent years, from $125 in 2002 to $225 today. Late fees climb to $100 at the end of the three-year grace period...more