Courtesy of Franklin County, Washington
Just how do you miss 200,000 phantom cattle over several years? That’s what some people in the Columbia Basin cattle-feeding industry are wondering in an ongoing saga between Tyson Fresh Meats and Easterday Ranches.
“It’s hard to believe,” says Mike DeTray, who runs a 4,000-head operation outside of George, Wash.
An accurate count of cattle is essential to cracking the case of Easterday Ranches and Easterday Farms — two arms of the large Easterday family empire, which Tyson Fresh Meats has accused of inventing and feeding 200,000 cattle on paper. After Tyson filed suit seeking $225 million, Easterday filed for federal bankruptcy.