Back in 1954, a fella named Anton Helbling built the first electric branding iron out of Mandan, North Dakota. Then he did the hard part — loading it up and hauling it to farm shows and county fairs until enough ranchers saw it work to believe in it. Seventy-some years later, that outfit is L&H Branding Irons, and it’s the oldest and largest branding iron manufacturer in the business.
We’re proud to have them as this month’s TWA Partner of the Month.
A brand is still the plainest proof of ownership there is!
Ear tags fall out. Papers get misfiled. A brand stays put. For Wagyu producers running high-value genetics, that permanence matters more than most — when a single animal represents years of breeding decisions and real money, you want identification that doesn’t walk off in a cedar thicket.
L&H makes the whole spread of options rather than pushing one method:
- Electric branders — their bread and butter, and what they’re known for nationally
- Fire-heated irons — the traditional route, for outfits working away from power
- Freeze branders — worth a hard look if you’re running black cattle. Freeze branding damages the pigment cells rather than the hide, so the hair grows back white. On a black Wagyu hide, that reads clean from across the pen instead of disappearing into the coat.
- Paint branders, specialty irons, and custom work — plus dehorners, searing irons, branding iron heaters, and hot knives
“L&H builds miniature steak branders — a small custom iron that burns your ranch mark right into the meat as a chef is plating your product.”
They’ll also do decorative and personalized irons, including for weddings, if you’ve got a family mark worth showing off.
They’ll help you get the size right
Here’s a detail worth knowing before you order. Brand sizing gets described two different ways — per character or overall height — and the difference isn’t small. Ask for a 4-inch brand on a “bar over 7B” design and you might end up with a 4-inch brand or a 5-inch one, depending on how it was read. L&H defaults to per-character if you don’t specify.
Animal type, age, brand location, and design all factor in, and they’ll tell you straight that there’s no such thing as a standard size. Send them your brand information and they’ll walk you through it.
L&H Branding Irons
410 6th Street SE, Mandan, ND 58554
1-800-437-8068 | sales@lhbrandingirons.com
lhbrandingirons.com