Documents detail horrific conditions on Exeter farm where more than 200 cattle died

A Nebraska man was arrested on nearly 30 charges following an investigation into animal neglect at his property in Exeter. 

Aaron Ogren, 30, of Exeter, was arrested by Fillmore County Sheriff’s Deputies Tuesday afternoon and lodged in Fillmore County Jail.

An arrest warrant was issued for Ogren on the charges of one count of theft by unlawful taking, two counts of prohibited sale of livestock, and 26 counts of cruelty to animals.

Last week, investigators found more than 200 deceased cattle and one deceased horse on Ogren’s property near Exeter. Additionally, more than 200 living cattle were removed from the property after having been found in questionable to poor condition.

Those cattle were transported to a nearby ranch and have since received care.

The investigation, which includes the Nebraska Brand Committee, Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, and the Nebraska State Patrol, is still active. 

Channel 8 Eyewitness News uncovered a history of alleged neglect at Ogren’s property. Farmers who paid to have their cattle cared for by Ogren and his associates said they discovered a number of their cattle missing, and others in various stages of neglect. Judges ordered payments of nearly $300,000 and $160,000 in two such cases, according to court documents. 

A criminal investigator for the Nebraska Brand Committee visited the farm on April 3 and was able to see several dead calves from the driveway, according to court documents obtained by Channel 8 Eyewitness News. 

While walking through the farm, the investigator said he was shown a pile of dead calves outside pens, and was told there were dozens more that had already been buried. In addition, there was another “big pile” of dead cattle that had not been buried, the documents say. The bodies ranged in age from newborn to fully grown animals, some that were fresh and others that were just “clean white bones,” according to the documents. 

The documents detail conditions at the farm, including cattle standing knee high in a mixture of mud, urine, and manure. Some animals were drinking from dirty water puddles, the investigator said. 

The feedlot did not appear to have been cleaned for about a year, the documents say. 

Once transported from the farm, approximately 263 cattle – not counting baby calves – were sorted and categorized based on their health. 

A majority of the cattle were considered to be near death or weak, with bones easily visible, based on a comparison by the investigator to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln body conditioning chart.

Autopsies showed one calf died of pneumonia, one died of starvation, and one died from being too weak to overcome the cold conditions, court documents say, with all the deaths being related to the environment the animals were born in. 

Authorities also found a dead horse on the farm that still had a halter attached and was “left to die” after being stuck in a mud hole, according to the documents. 

Ogren appeared in court Wednesday morning where a judge set his bond at $30,000. He is scheduled to appear in court again on May 1.