Farmers Beware!

[Tobina+1]

KWCH out of Wichita had a news story about this about a month ago:
http://www.kwch.com/Global/story.asp?s=8454368
But now the reality has hit Elk County.  Theives are targeting machinery and implements left in fields and in rural areas by farmers.  Last weekend, an Elk County farm had a large flat-bed trailer and "Mule" stolen from a building in a remote area.  Theives had to cut the lock on a gate, broke out windows in the building to get in, loaded the Mule on the trailer, and drove away without any notice until the next morning.  Tools were also taken from the building.
With the peak season for harvesting coming fast upon us, FARMERS; BE AWARE!  Unfortunately, incidents like this make us normally easy-going, trusting, rural-folks a little edgy.

[frawin]

Tobina, unfortunately with the high energy prices, increasing inflation and more unemployed will also come more crime. I recently watched a news article on TV about the theft of gasoline and diesel. Thieves were breaking the locking caps and siphoning the tanks and if that didn't wotk they were crawling under the vehicles and drilling or punching holes in the fuel tanks and draining them that way. Also they were draining the fuel tanks on irrigation pumps and any machinery that had fuel. There has always been a problem of theft on farms that noone lived on full time and it will only get worse.  I had two saddles and all of the accompanying tack stolen from a barn West of Howard years ago.
Frank

[dnalexander]

Here in California we have people stealing used cooking oil and selling it to the refiners that treat it for use as fuel. People are just going insane over the higher price of gas\fuel. I guess that is just part of the price for our shortsightedness. 

David

[Tobina+1]

Well, I hope that with the high costs of gas now, people will start to STAY HOME more and teach their kids about Morality, Honesty, and Hard Work.
Energy prices, inflation, and unemployment are just Excuses ("we don't have enough").  Morally corrupt, dishonest, and lazy people will still steal in an economic boom ("they have too much").

[Lookatmeknow!!]

My father in law works out at the rock quarry in Severy.  They have been having fuel being stole for some months now.  He also told me that they have also been hitting the farms around Severy, too.  We take it to easy here in Howard.  But I am telling you that with all the high cost of fuel and things, it doesn't surprise me that we are having to worry about this now.  It is really sad!!!

[Tobina+1]

David;
Heck, it was less than a year ago that restaurants were HAPPY to give away their cooking oil to people who had transferred their cars to that fuel type.  Restaurants had to pay fees for someone else to come and take it away, so they were glad to get rid of it that way.  Now you're saying that they can sell the oil to refineries?  And these oil-using hippie vans have to pay for it?  What a difference a year makes!

[dnalexander]

No Tobina our hippy vans use gas at the rate of 8 miles to the gallon. But our Mercedes, Volkswagons, and commercial diesel trucks can use the cooking oil. I too worked in restaurants and remember we had to pay to have it hauled off.

David