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Copper, diesel thefts plague farmers

Associated Press

GREAT BEND - A recent string of copper thefts has some southwestern Kansas farmers worrying about their property and reconsidering how to protect it.

With copper prices skyrocketing -- about $4 a pound -- thieves are targeting copper wiring in houses to copper around ballpark lights. Farmers' irrigation systems have not been immune.

Not long after the fall crop was harvested, thieves stole copper from farmer Scott Loving's irrigation system. Damage totaled more than $1,500.

Loving said farmers are locking up sheds, gates and tractors when leaving the field for the evening.

Kansas Farm Bureau officials said the problem is "chronic." Several members from across the state have reported similar thefts.

Two recent irrigation theft cases in Reno County totaled about $6,000 in losses, Detective Sheldon Stewart said.

Barton County Undersheriff Gary Vaughan said farmers also have reported missing aluminum irrigation piping. But with diesel prices nearing $4 a gallon, Vaughan expects his staff will soon be dealing with more irrigation fuel theft cases.

In one case, thieves siphoned about 4,000 gallons from a 10,000-gallon diesel tank.

Stewart and Vaughan have advised residents to report any suspicious activity. That includes flashlights in a field, unfamiliar cars on the side of the road and fires.

"People need to be aware that it is a large problem," Vaughan said.