Record prices in the industry have authorities across the country seeing more cases of cattle theft, making producers extra cautious.
Limited cattle supplies have pushed beef prices to record levels, and demand continues to support those rising values. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Brookhaven cattle farmer and Mississippi commissioner of agriculture and commerce, told the Mississippi Business Journal rustlers are stealing cattle because the payoff is so high for just a few animals.
Cases of livestock theft are often only a handful of cattle at a time, but even six animals can translate to tens of thousands of dollars and a significant loss for producers.
Stolen cattle are more likely to be sold to individual buyers away from sale barns where inspectors follow procedures to ensure the seller owns the animals. John Michael Riley, an economist with the Agriculture Extension Service, says thieves are likely to sell animals outside of the region they were taken from, but not across state lines to avoid federal Department of Transportation officers requiring a veterinarian’s certificate of health for the animals.
Hyde-Smith advises producers to protect their investment. As prices are high the threat of cattle rustlers remains. Monitor your cattle, and your neighbors’ herds, and note any suspicious activity and unfamiliar vehicles.
“With cattle prices at these rates, I think you’re probably seeing more locks and more chains,” Riley said.
Cattle aren’t the only commodity on alert. Two California men admitted roles in an attempted beef theft this week. The two men, Oganes Nagapetian and Tigran Nagapetian tried to steal beef from a Kansas slaughterhouse in 2011.
The two posed as a trucking firm, with plans of stealing a beef shipment worth $87,500 from Tyson Fresh Meats in Holcomb, Kan. Fox News reports the two are scheduled for sentencing on Jan. 27.—Brett Wessler, Staff Writer Drovers Cattle Network