FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Cattle theft on the rise

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 30, 2005―When the Houston Chronicle runs a front-page story about cattle theft, you know you’ve got a problem!
      “Rustlers on Prowl,” screamed the half-inch, all capital letter headline on June 18. “Higher prices, ‘absentee ranchers’ lead to a rise in cattle thefts.”
      “We’re being inundated,” confirms Larry Gray, director of law enforcement for Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. Certified peace officers from the 128-year-old, Fort Worth-based association are currently investigating reports of about 500 cattle missing across the state.
      TSCRA has 29 livestock theft investigators strategically stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma. Thoroughly trained in all facets of law enforcement, they combine their comprehensive knowledge of the cattle industry with modern technology like computers and DNA tracing to track down missing cattle.
      In 2004, TSCRA inspectors investigated 1,214 cases and accounted for stolen livestock and ranch equipment worth more than $4.03 million. Gray expects higher totals in 2005.
      “Cattle prices are at an all-time high right now,” he explains. “A trailer-load of cows and calves can bring as much as $20,000; that’s a pretty big temptation for a thief.”

TSCRA’s inspection system
      Cattle being sold to market go through auction barns, where TSCRA has its first line of defense. Seventy market inspectors monitor 125 cattle auctions and two horse-processing plants in Texas for stolen livestock.
      These inspectors have been protecting ranch property for more than 60 years—since the program was first authorized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture through an act of Congress in 1942.
      They inspect every animal that goes through the auctions—five million to six million head each year—meticulously recording identifying characteristics such as brands, sex, color, tags, horns and ear marks. They also document the shipper’s name, address and vehicle license number.
      All of this information is sent to TSCRA’s Fort Worth headquarters where it is entered into the largest centralized, computer brand recording and retrieval system in the nation. When cattle are reported missing, their descriptions are matched against those in TSCRA’s database.
         “It’s a lot easier to find cattle if they’re branded,” Gray advises. “A hot iron brand is still the best form of identification,” he insists. “It’s permanent and visible from a distance. More modern types of ID like ear tags or electronic implants can be removed or require a reader.”

Theft prevention tips
      Gray suggests several steps ranchers should take to help prevent their cattle from being stolen.
      · Brand cattle and make sure the brand is recorded with the county clerk.
      · Count cattle regularly.
      · Don’t establish a routine when feeding; vary the time when you feed.
      · Don’t feed in pens.
      · Don’t build pens close to a roadway.
      · Lock gates.
      · Be cautious of who you give keys and combinations to.
      · Participate in neighborhood Crime Watch programs.
      · Display TSCRA member sign on gates and entrances--it’s an excellent deterrent. Information on TSCRA membership and signs is available on TSCRA’s Web site at www.texascattleraisers.org 
            “If you notice cattle are missing, the first thing to do is call the call the TSCRA inspector in your area,” Gray advises. “A map and contact information are available on TSCRA’s Web site under ‘theft protection’ or you can call headquarters at 1 (800) 242-7820.

            Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association is a 128-year-old trade organization whose 13,000-plus members manage approximately 5.4 million cattle on 70.3 million acres of range and pasture land, primarily in Texas and Oklahoma. 

TSCRA-24-2005