Business | Summer 2008
Farm thefts rise in step with prices.
By Kevin Libin
With grain and oilseed markets on a high, farmers need to become more vigilant in protecting the fruits of their labour.
The high value of agricultural commodities is a boon not just for farmers but also for thieves in rural Canada. And that signals a need for tighter vigilance to make sure crops don't end up paying off for robbers. Across the country, farmers are reporting a rise in raids on their bins and trucks as criminals cash in on record commodity prices.
"We're being more cautious these days," says Lawrence Penner, a grain grower near Kola, MB who had a truck filled with 650 bushels of canary seed stolen from his farm in February. Whoever did it, brought the truck back. But the seed, ready for sale and worth nearly $10,000, was gone. This was no easy job, says Penner, who believes the culprits had the equipment and know-how to move large quantities of grain. "I suspect it was driven out to a secluded location and reloaded onto a different truck," he suggests.
Earlier that same month, RCMP investigated a canola heist in Tuxford, SK. Farmer Doug Froelich lost 1,200 bushels, worth about $16,000. The bin was located on land that Froelich farms, but is not connected to his home property.
The problem is not confined to Canada. Kansas police have offered a reward for information to help solve nearly a dozen wheat thefts in that state this year. Bandits have been driving trucks up to unsecured bins and using augers to unload a fortune worth of grain. In California and Florida, bee farmers report nearly $400,000 in stolen hives in the last year and investigators in Washington are looking into a series of hay scams. California's almond producers have watched entire truckloads go missing this year after prices reached triple what they were just a few years ago.
The soaring value of their crops has farmers taking more precautions than ever before. Lynn McLean, a grain producer near Rosetown, SK, spent the winter plowing large piles of snow across the driveway of his farm to deter break-ins. Like many farmers, he often has to leave his farm unattended for hours at a time - long enough for robbers to get in and out - while taking loads of grain into town.
"If I'm away somewhere it wouldn't take long to come in and load up a semi. I'm just making it a little more difficult," says McLean. Penner's canary seed wasn't insured. And until recently, he says, it was common for farmers in his area to leave their bins unlocked. But people are being careful now that grain prices are double or triple what they were just a few years ago. Penner says he's locking up his grain, installing surveillance cameras and making sure he doesn't leave keys in unattended trucks anymore.
In the U.S., according to a report from the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C. think tank, annual agricultural farm losses from theft are about US$5 billion, though the actual number is likely higher since many cases are unnoticed or unreported. Large-volume producers, with several storage sites, might not notice a few thousand missing bushels for months, giving thieves ample time to relocate and sell their plunder.
Canada's handling and transportation system leaves growers sitting on the bulk of the country's grain inventory. "On-farm storage is a very large and important part of the Canadian system," says Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) official Maureen Fitzhenry. She adds, however, that because wheat and malt barley fall under the CWB system, they're harder to sell on the black market in the west.
Of course, grains and oilseeds are not alone in having seen sharp price increases over the past year or so. As farmers are only too well aware, inputs such as fertilizer and fuel are much more expensive than they were last season. Farm equipment and parts have also become more valuable. All are potential targets for freeloaders out to get something for nothing.
Farmers should do their best to make life harder for thieves, says Dan Melnyk, an RCMP constable in Moose Jaw, SK. Whenever possible, he advises, store grain near home and keep bins well lit and locked. Those precautions aren't always possible, though, and no bin will keep out a truly determined thief. "If someone really wants in, he'll get in eventually," Melnyk says.
That's why he's telling farmers in the area to use a product commonly called "grainfetti" - tiny, specially coded paper chips mixed with threshed grain to make it easily traceable to the owner in case of theft. In reality, there's no way to completely ensure that grain won't end up being stolen, he says. But farmers can make sure that if it ever happens to them, there is at least a fighting chance of catching the crooks.
- Kevin Libin is an Alberta-based writer with The National Post.
