Cattle rustling in New England!

[Freedom]

Interesting info, and so sad. Thanks.

[pomtzu]

I can't say that I've ever seen cattle transported around here, so I don't know how it's done. Delaware is "chicken country", and it makes me sad to see the way these creatures are treated on the way to be slaughtered. There are hundreds of crates stacked on what I would describe as flatbeds, with as many chickens as possible crammed into each crate. I often wonder how many make it thru alive and how many are DOA???
Of course we see a lot of horse trailers too, and horses are treated very good. Most of them are race horses or work horses that are privately owned tho.

If you ever watch Jane Valez-Mitchell on HLN weeknights, you would see some horrendous videos of the treatment of animals farmed for consumption. She is very much an animal rights activist and usually has a piece at the end of her show - supporting legislation for the humane treatment, etc, of all animals everywhere.

[Karen]

Never heard of cattle rustling on that scale around here! It is surprising, too, with the falling price of beef in the Mid-West because of the drought, with farmers sending cattle to the slaughterhouse when they no longer can afford the feed for them. I am glad the folks were caught, and hopefully the others will be found. There's a very small profit margin for many farmers, and we would not want to see thieves destroying a small farmer's livelihood for the sake of a quick buck!

[Freedom]

Never heard of cattle rustling on that scale around here! It is surprising, too, with the falling price of beef in the Mid-West because of the drought, with farmers sending cattle to the slaughterhouse when they no longer can afford the feed for them. I am glad the folks were caught, and hopefully the others will be found. There's a very small profit margin for many farmers, and we would not want to see thieves destroying a small farmer's livelihood for the sake of a quick buck!

Karen, that's just it, they have NOT caught the thieves! They have some leads -- the auction house is not cooperating. Other folks have said that this Amish auction, if you show up with animals, they pay cash and take the animals to sell at a profit themselves. Yes, they have made it clear, this is an Amish auction, which is why they were working / holding the auction, on Labor Day. The Amish don't recognize the holiday.

[Bonny]

Never heard of cattle rustling on that scale around here! It is surprising, too, with the falling price of beef in the Mid-West because of the drought, with farmers sending cattle to the slaughterhouse when they no longer can afford the feed for them. I am glad the folks were caught, and hopefully the others will be found. There's a very small profit margin for many farmers, and we would not want to see thieves destroying a small farmer's livelihood for the sake of a quick buck!

The beef prices are not falling they are going up. The average price for a 1200 pound steer or heifer is $1.26 per pound equaling $1,512.00 finished.

The cow herds still exist & have been sold off to other buyers in other parts of the U.S.A or foreign countries. Don't know of a shortage as yet. When fall comes the number of weaned calves may not be a valuable as last Falls due to the lack of corn. There are other grains that can be fed to beef cattle to fatten them but it would probably take longer time to get the gains on them.

All this can cause a rise in prices for the consumer & some brainstorming for the farmer as what would be the best decision sell them as calves get what you can for them & let someone else finish them out or finish them out yourself. This can make or break for a farmer.

Most farmers had federal crop insurance which means they will be paid for their crop failure & the money will be used to buy fuel, seed, & fertilizer to plant again next year.

[Alysser]

I think it would have been easier just to rob the farmhouse. I live in a "farm town", and whenever mentioned to someone from another surrounding town people ask me if I live on a horse farm. About the only thing they have here is Corn and you guessed it - horse farms. Being a former member of the FFA, I probably should know a bit more about cattle rustling but really don't have a problem with that 'round here.

That does seem like a lot for New England though. My question is - how does anyone have the nerve to steal cattle?? I'd be paranoid that someone was watching somewhere! No matter how big the ranch is. I am sure this is extremely common out west, but I guess getting caught'd depend on the acreage of the farm. It's not exactly easy to hide either!