Easterday-Tyson saga shows counting 200K cattle isn’t easy, especially when they might not exist...

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,” said Mike DeTray, who runs a 4,000-head operation outside of George, Washington.

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.