It’s 10:30 a.m. You’re away from home. Do you know where your grain is?
That’s the question Brent Tarasoff, United Farmers of Alberta field representative, asked a group of farmers attending the company’s February Grain Safety Congress. About one-third of farmers said they had recently checked their stash.
“I think that theft is more common than producers think,” said Tarasoff, who spoke in Red Deer, Alta. “I would challenge the other two-thirds to have a look,” he said, adding there are more than 100 grain thefts across the Prairies annually.
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It was an ideal fall for grain theft because it snowed late in the year, so thieves could get away without leaving tracks. As use of B-trains becomes more popular it’s easy for thieves to take thousands of dollars worth of grain in short order using the producer’s own auger, he said.
“You can’t watch your grain all the time. It’s physically impossible.”
There are precautions producers can take to discourage thieves.
- Keep as much grain as possible in the yard where it’s less likely to be stolen.
- Padlock bins.
- Light the areas around bins.
- Have dogs on the premises.
As well, producers can mark grain with a confetti-like product called Crop Guard. Tarasoff said one pound marks 10,000 bushels of grain by placing 20 flakes in each bushel.
It costs about half a cent per bushel of grain and farmers add the flakes as they auger grain into bins.
The substance allows elevator companies and RCMP officers to track stolen grain.
Two years ago UFA sold four cases of Crop Guard, enough to cover 40,000 bushels of grain. Last year it sold 57 cases or enough to cover half a million acres.
“People are becoming more aware of grain theft,” said Tarasoff.
Maintaining inventory records and checking stored supply regularly are also important, he added.
Bigger operators with a wide land base are thieves’ most likely targets, he said.
