Guess what people are stealing from farms now.......

Fitter Roger · Dec 17, 2012

Well the yellow lab was barking his head off the other night while I was at work. My wife checked to see what he was haven a fit about but didn't see anything from the house. We can't see the back side of the barn from the house. Turns out somebody opened the hay loft door and stole a pickup load of small square bales of hay. We figure around 20 to 30 bales. They parked the truck up the road around a corner a walked back and forth through the hay field to load the truck.

Too bad we didn't leave the trap door to the goat feed bunk open.

Turns out that the neighbor's farm was getting its fuel and oil drums ripped off when we started looking around. That thief was digging in his shed, which was closed up and found the key to the fuel barrel.

We are located on the state line between Illinois and Wisconsin. The Sheriff figures that they sneak into Wisconsin and run back into Illinois to fence the items, sell hay to the horse people and hide out. Its hard to get the Illinois Sheriff to patrol along the state line.

Roger

Charles (in GA) · Dec 17, 2012

Heard a story on Public Radio about the stolen hay problem. Pretty big in places. One farmer hid a GPS transmitter in a big roll of hay and tracked it down. Sheriff got several people who were involved.

Charles

730 virgil · Dec 17, 2012

i was talking to a friend last night who told me someone stole their pasture gate then went to their neighbors and stole their gate also

da.bees · Dec 17, 2012

I don't support thieves of any sort but can't help but feel a liittle relieved they didn't come to the house and harm the family. As for where they came from,it's not making sense that a complete stranger would make multiple trips across the field while a large dog barked. How would they know you would not bring a two row skatter gun to investigate or that somone wasn't about to set the large barking dog on them while they crossed the field. Seems they knew the dog wouldn't jump them and your wife wouldn't get out and look around the place.

da.bees · Dec 17, 2012

(quoted from post at 18:24:58 12/17/12) Heard a story on Public Radio about the stolen hay problem. Pretty big in places. One farmer hid a GPS transmitter in a big roll of hay and tracked it down. Sheriff got several people who were involved.

Charles

That is the kind of effort it takes to tamp down things before they get out of hand. Membership in [color=darkred:dcc636ff8b]Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association [/color:dcc636ff8b] brings far more support than law enforcement is willing to give victems. They have members from a few forighn countrys but primarily serve private landowners in La,Ark,Ok,NM & Tx. Check them out on line and talk to land owners that have used them to investigate a crime. Thier investigators are head and shoulders above the average lawmen and more important,will give your case the attention it deserves. The TSCRA insures your property which gives them skin in the game if you property disappears or set fire. If you look at those in jail for property crime involving farm equipment and livestock,a TSCRA Ranger put cuffs on almost as many as government officers did. I have no affilliation other than membership.

kly · Dec 17, 2012

People have been stealing hay here for years. Know a guy that left a full truck of corn in the field. it was empty in the morning.At least they brought the truck back! I haven't heard about diesel being stolen. Know they steal gasoline, tractor batteries, and copper wire from pivots.Heard one guy had his copper radiators stolen from his irrigation engines

Mark - IN. · Dec 17, 2012

Gates. Thats a new one on me. Scrap metal.

This past Saturday some neighbors down the road got their place broken into sometime after Noon and before 4:00 PM. Kicked the door in, stole a TV and some stuff. That's pretty close to me I figure. This weekend will take the family out target practicing on the property again since most everyone will be over. Gives practice, and what sounds like OK Corral echoing across the plowed fields isn't bad advertisement to those that might be eyeballing the place.

Mark

Geo-TH,In · Dec 17, 2012

I put a safety chain around my gate. Only slows them down if someone really wanted it.

Spook · Dec 17, 2012

Somebody stole the garage doors off a house that had been repoed down the road. Friend of mine that lives across the road thought that somebody had forgotten to close the doors. The 2nd day, he walked over, the houses are about 1000ft apart, and saw that the doors were gone. 3 doors, insulated, looked like wood. The whole house had been gutted for the copper plumbing, and all the fixtures and appliances had been torn out. It had been appraised at 380K. The bank ended up selling it for 53K. But it needed a lot of work.

Stan in Oly, WA · Dec 17, 2012

Hi Roger,

I've often wondered what I'd do if I caught someone in the act of stealing from my property. Legally, I'd have more freedom of action if they were in my house---Washington State law doesn’t give homeowners as much latitude in that regard as some states, but enough. The sticky issue is when a thief is not inside your house and is not threatening you, just stealing your stuff. All they really have to do is turn their back on you and walk (or run, or drive) away. Even a police officer would be in serious trouble for shooting a fleeing person in the back for a crime against property. As a civilian---forget it. It sure would be bitter, though, to have your good sense prevail and have to watch someone who had just been stealing from you walk away. In general, I’ve found reality to be less satisfying and more complicated than fiction in many interesting situations.

Stan

Steve A W · Dec 17, 2012

Teach Them to dance!

Tom from Buckeye Lake · Dec 17, 2012

When my Daughter was looking for 1st home, we looked at two that were gutted IE copper, wire, fixtures ect. Bank rep said the owners were in default and THEY (owners) gutted it and ran.

Mark6005 · Dec 17, 2012

Couple weeks back our fence was cut and catalytic converter cut right off new super duty 450. heard last week a ford dealer was hit and several of them stolen the same way. A matter of time until farms targeted also since large trucks are used. Guess something in the converters is worth big bucks

charlie n · Dec 17, 2012

It's been a problem in Southern Illinois and Missouri for a while.Mostly rounds and big squares.Heard thru the grapevine Missouri Highway Patrol has a task force working on it.

You want to see what the item of choice here is?

http://www.thetelegraph.com/news/local/article_52b58bba-3dbd-11e2-8a00-0019bb30f31a.html

john *.?-!.* cub owner · Dec 17, 2012

(quoted from post at 22:53:56 12/17/12) Couple weeks back our fence was cut and catalytic converter cut right off new super duty 450. heard last week a ford dealer was hit and several of them stolen the same way. A matter of time until farms targeted also since large trucks are used. Guess something in the converters is worth big bucks

hey have platinum in them. That is the catalyst in a catalytic converter.

bill mart · Dec 17, 2012

heres the link
clickable link

Spook · Dec 18, 2012

That's what happened here. Guy bought the place on a land contract from his dad. Dad didn't pay the mortgage that he took out on the place, when the son got the notice, he went nuts and stripped the whole place.

Anonymous-0 · Dec 18, 2012

We looked at one home near Plymouth, MI that the PO took the furnace, ductwork, plumbing, paneling, carpet, cupboards, built-in appliances, wood deck, large landscape boulders, and some of the trees from the property. It looked like the PO went through a lot of work just moving the materials especially the landscape boulders that had to be moved with a FEL and heavy duty truck or trailer.

Karl in MD · Dec 18, 2012

Either that, or they'll watch until you leave home and break in and steal your guns.

souNdguy · Dec 18, 2012

2nd hay theft I've heard of in a week. I heard someone got corn stole out of a silo.. and as for fuel.. heck.. the co i work for had a fuel trailer stole from us a month ago ( got it back after a real busy week of looking.. etc.. )

soundguy

blinko · Dec 18, 2012

Last weekend went out in the back yard and noticed the cast iron spoked hubs off my 16 year old daughters Farmall M that were off the tractor were loaded up by someone. It would take a few people to load them up. I even have the chief investigator for the sheriffs deptment as my next door neighbor. Couldn't believe it.

Mark - IN. · Dec 18, 2012

Hey Karl,

Could be, but they are stored pretty well. When I was a kid, my best buddy had an area of his bedroom that was cedar planks. At some point he managed to remove some of the planks, and create a hiding spot in the walls behind the planks. He would simply put the planks back up, no one knew the difference. Mine is not exactly the same, but its based off of the same principal on a much larger scale. I'm guessing that they are going to be hard to find without dismantling the house, which they could do if they ever figure out where to start. Homes have some pretty big voids that can become useful instead of dead space. Its not a hard thing to build, just takes some imagination. Doesn't withstand heat of 1,700 degrees like a safe though, but unlike a safe, no on knows its there, and its vented for dryness.

Good luck.

Mark

casenut1 · Dec 18, 2012

i know of a house that PO took the door knob set when he lost the house.also the ceiling fixtures.

Karl in MD · Dec 19, 2012

Glad you're thinking along those lines. Stolen firearms are used in the commission of a majority of crimes. Please, everybody, own all the guns you want, but keep them secure from theft! (gunsmith, NRA Life Member, and prison employee)

Guess what people are stealing from farms now.......

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