A26-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 22, 1991
Rural Theft Increases
(Continued from Page At)
a low boy truck to get rtty tractor.
“My neighbors advised me not
to prosecute, but I went ahead any
way. We finally got the thief into
the court room and then settled out
of court for $1500.”
While many farmers, like
Robinson’s neighbors, fear repris
al if they report and prosecute
thieves, an enforcement officer
said it doesn’t work that way. The
officer said that if you let the thief
go, he’ll do it again. If you prose
cute him, you let him know you
know who he is and he becomes
the suspect for any other crime in
the area.
Barbara Woodruff, Penn State
extension community develop
ment director, who works out of
Lewistown in Mifflin County, said
that for machinery, thieves often
use a flat bed truck to pick up
equipment parked away from the
farm buildings. “The truck may
even have a fake farm equipment
dealer’s name on the cab door,”
Woodruff said. “For cattle, the
thieves use a cattle truck, drop the
tail gate and shove the animals
onto the truck. Young animals like
calves, colts and lambs are prime
targets.”
Within the past few weeks an
Amish fanner in southern Lancas
ter County reported four Holstein
calves missing from their hutches.
In Franklin County, farmers have
had a series of thefts, many related
to the milk house facilities.
Douglas Reinhart farms on the
outskirts of Chambersburg. “This
was the worst week of my life,”
Reinhart said. “The milk inspector
called and said we had contami
nated a compartment on the milk
tank truck. I said that could not be,
because we had no treated animals
on the farm.”
But when every animal in Rein
hart’s 160-head Jersey herd was
tested, three cows had been mys
teriously treated with antibiotics
and were contaminating the milk
in the bulk tank. Tools were also
stolen from the farm shop and two
hydraulic cylinders were taken
from the com and hay choppers.
“These cylinders were taken
from equipment sitting right
behind the bam,” Reinhart said. “It
had to be done by someone who
knew something about farming.”
John Shearer, Franklin County
agent, said dairy farmers in his
county have experienced a series
of incidents where six or eight bulk
tanks on that many farms were
contaminated. In every case the
vandalism was done bv someone
who knows something about the
items around the milk house.
Dr. Arthur Cosby, Mississippi
State University, has studied rural
crime as part of his work in the
sociology department Cosby said
pesticides and ag chemicals are
prime targets of theft because of
their small volume and high value.
He said a real problem exists
because items around the farm lack
serial numbers and other means of
identification.
For Benjamin Shank, Holt
wood, in Lancaster County, his
Farmall M that disappeared from
the same Held where his son was
raking hay is very identifiable
because it is an antique. “Some
guys like the old tractors because
they worked with them as boys,”
Shank said.
But Shank’s antique tractor was
driven out of the field in broad day
light and has not been seen again.
"I still half believe that a kid drove
it off and left it in the woods,”
Shank said. “It’s worth more as an
antique than any real field work
value.”
To solve a rural theft crime, you
need to be able to give positive
identification of the items that are
stolen. Woodruff suggests that you
mark tools with spray paint. Spray
the handles with fluorescent green
or yellow and stick your thumb
print in the wet paint. In addition,
you can chisel marks or drill holes
(A column for farmers and agri
business to report missing and found
machinery, tools and livestock. Call
(717) 394-3047 with these reports.)
• Douglas Reinhart, Cham
bersburg, Franklin County,
had farm tools taken from his
farm shop and two hydraulic
cylinders removed from com
and hay choppers. Milk was
also contaminated in the bulk
tank. Anyone with informa*
tion about this crime should
call (717) 261-0927.
• Benjamin Shank, Holtwood,
Lancaster County, had a Far
mali M antique tractor driven
out of the field in broad day
light. He thinks It may have
been driven into the woods
and left set. Anyone with
information about this crime
should call (717) 284-4820.
• Frank Robinson, Bowie,
Maryland, had a tractor and
chisel plow stolen on a Sun
day morning. He has recov
ered the tractor but the plow
is still missing. Anyone with
information about this crime
should call (301) 262-9037.
in the frame of your larger equip
ment Then tell the local police
how you have marked your tools
and equipment.
The Michigan Crime Preven
tion Center says farmers should
install high-efficiency lighting
systems in areas where equipment
will be stored and they should keep
valuable supplies and small ani
mals visible from the house.
If you must leave your heavy
equipment in the field, make sure
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you park it where it’s readily visi-
ble from the neighbor’s house.
Work out some arrangement
whereby you can park tractors,
combines, and other valuable
equipment in each other’s yards.
Use a small out-building or cor
ner of the bam for storing mainte
nance equipment, tools, fertilizers,
and other easily moveable belong
ings. The solid core door with a
dead-bolt lock or hardened steel
alloy hasp and padlock should be
visible from your house. The door
should open inward so the hinges
are not exposed.
Drawn implements, irrigation
pumps, and other equipment left
outside should be chained and
locked securely. Power driven
implements should be equipped
with hidden ignition kill switches.
Remove the distributor rotor to
prevent hit-wiring. Keep fencing
and gates in good repair and
locked.
“Because our only current
means of coping with theft is
through the police, and because the
police are engaged in more serious
matters, thieves are having a field
day at the expense of fanners,”
Robinson said. “I suggest that Lan
caster Farming create a column of
“missing equipment” whereby a
theft can be quickly reported
throughout the fanning communi
ty. Thefts would have to be
reported by the owner and the
report published as soon as possi
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ble in order to be effective.
The reports should include a
description of the equipment, loca
tion. date it was noticed missing,
and name and phone number of the
owner, together with any reward
offered,” Robinson said. “Under
this scheme, a person spotting a
piece of stolen equipment would
contact the owner, who in turn
would take the matter up with the
local police. I believe the police
would act quickly if they had good
information on which to act Parti
cipation by Lancaster Farming
would end with the publication of
the reports.”
In response to Robinson’s com
ments, and a small survey of other
farmers, Lancaster Farming will
publish reports of stolen items for
fanners and agribusiness free of
charge. The owner of the stolen
item should call the news depart
ment as soon as possible after the
item has been reported missing to
the local police. Be prepared to
give the name, identification and
or description of the item and any
reward for its recovery. The notice
will be run for several weeks to
help alert those who may unwit
tingly purchase the stolen goods
and to help the owner to recover
stolen property. A sample of the
column is published with this
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