How do I review a cattle ranch’s herd health and vaccination records before buying?
Ask for the full health record kept for the herd, including treatments, vaccinations, losses and vet visits, and read it against the animals you will see. Look for consistent dates, clear notes on who did the work, and an honest account of sick animals and deaths.
Health records show how carefully a herd has been managed. Ask the seller what is recorded, where it is kept and who updates it. A good record covers vaccinations, treatments, births, deaths and animals sold or culled, with dates and notes. Request a few seasons of records so you can see patterns.
Read them alongside the animals. Do the numbers of animals recorded match what you count in the pens and pastures? Do the dates fit the calendar of working the herd? Look for repeated problems, such as the same illness in the same group or a spike in calf losses. Ask what the seller thought caused each one and how it was handled.
Next, speak with the veterinarian, with the seller’s consent, about the herd’s overall health and the seller’s habits. Ask whether the vet’s own records match. If records are thin or recent only, ask why. Missing records do not prove a problem, but they mean you will need to learn the herd’s history another way. Your accountant can tell you how losses show up in the financial statements. Keep copies of what you review, so you can compare them with what you find after closing. Mark anything you cannot explain.
Key takeaways
- Request several seasons of health records, not just the latest.
- Compare the records with the animals you can see and count.
- Speak with the herd’s veterinarian with the seller’s consent.
Related reading
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Selling
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
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