Corner Post Opinion —
'Udderly' serious
by Beverley Kreul, posted Feb. 23, 2009
While cattle rustling may sound like a crime from a Western novel, it is becoming an increasing problem for Missouri’s cattle producers. Since 2005, Missouri has experienced a large amount of cattle theft.
According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, cattle were reported stolen in 29 different counties last year alone. These thefts totaled more than $500,000. Since the first of the year, almost a hundred cattle have been reported stolen. This includes 11 steers and one heifer, valued at $8,500, taken from a farm near Arbela in northeast Missouri and another $14,000 worth of cattle stolen from a producer in Clever, a town southwest of Springfield, Mo.
In response to the increasing number of cattle thefts, the Missouri Farm Bureau is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of individuals committing a felony in the theft of cattle from Farm Bureau members, according to the Memphis Democrat.
It is predicted that 30,000 of Missouri Farm Bureau members are involved in cattle production according to the Missouri Farm Bureau website.
“The theft of cattle in our state is a serious problem and should not be tolerated,” said Charles E. Kruse, president of the Missouri Farm Bureau. “State law enforcement officials are committed to bringing these thefts to an end, and we want to provide citizens with an incentive to keep a watchful eye for suspicious activities in their communities.”
However, some states are taking things a bit further. States such as Arizona, Montana, and Tennessee are raising the consequences of cattle rustling from a misdemeanor to a felony.
I believe that Missouri should follow the examples of these states. Currently, there are two pieces of legislation, one in the House of Representatives and one in the Senate, which would increase the penalty for cattle theft. These acts would raise the consequences of cattle rustling from a $1,000 ticket to a Class E felony with a jail sentence of three to five years. This would mean that cattle rustling would fall under the category of robbery, which is a felony, rather than theft, which is a misdemeanor.
The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association and Missouri Livestock Marketing Association are asking all livestock auction markets in the state to voluntarily keep photo identification on file of all farmers and ranchers selling cattle. The Missouri Cattlemen’s Association board of directors voted unanimously at their March meeting last year to increase the cattle theft reward from $2,000 to $5,000.
In Missouri, cattle production employs roughly 15 percent of Missourians according to the Missouri Department of Agriculture. In fact, Missouri is the second highest cattle producer in the nation, only preceded by Texas.
In a struggling economy, I feel that the Missouri legislature should do all within their power to protect one of the state's leading industries. After experiencing some cattle production on my family’s farm, I am aware that it could take up to four years to recover from the loss of 10 cows or more.
In order to fulfill their responsibilities to their citizens, the state ought to raise the cattle-rustling penalty from a misdemeanor, which is often considered a minor transgression, to a felony, which will remain on a permanent record. Until the state takes action on this rising problem for Missouri’s agriculturalists, there are a few things producers can do to protect their capital according to the Missouri Cattle Theft Task Force.
