Rivers-area farmer hit by thieves

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This article was published 23/03/2022 (1303 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A farmer near Rivers is warning other producers to boost their security after thieves allegedly stole $40,000 worth of canola from one of his bins.

Les Wedderburn said he noticed the 1,600 bushels of canola were missing from his bins after rotating the grain over the winter.

“We saw a black pickup truck in and out of the yard that day … as quick as they could and I suspect they were doing a drive-by to see what they could find,” he said in an interview.

“And then they took it that night, between the time we pulled the load and put it back in they took it.”

The grain wasn’t priced yet, Wedderburn said, so he didn’t notice the bin was half-empty for approximately a month after, in late February.

The theft could be related to last year’s drought, he said, and the difficult year many in the agricultural sector endured.

“Who knows? People who would do that are either awful desperate or just plain thieves,” he said.

Now, Wedderburn, who is also a co-owner of Rolling Spokes in Brandon, said he wants to warn other producers of the possibility of theft.

“We’re so vulnerable and I don’t think people realize it. I don’t think we realized how vulnerable we were to that until it happens, and I don’t think most farmers believe that they’re most vulnerable.”

Farms are so spread out it’s difficult to have eyes on all aspects of an operation. Fuel tanks and liquid fertilizer are also a target, he said.

“Farmers, in general, are pretty complacent. Your bins are full of grain, you don’t expect anybody to ever do a thing like that.

“We just have to do a lot more to stop [theft].”

Wedderburn plans to install security cameras around the bins that can send an alert to his phone. He also intends to put Cropgard in his bins, which is confetti with a traceable serial number on it. The serial number is then checked when the grain arrives at the grain elevator.

RCMP spokesperson Paul Manaigre said the police service only had one other reported theft of grain, on March 7, in the Rural Municipality of Argyle, south of Glenboro. Approximately 2,000 bushels of wheat were stolen from a grain bin in August 2021, he said in an email.

In March 2021, former Rivers police chief Bruce Klassen said a farmer near Isabella also reported grain theft.

The Sun contacted the Rivers Police Service but did not hear back by press time on Tuesday.

Wedderburn reported the theft to Rivers police approximately three weeks ago and said he will keep looking for more information. He said he believes agricultural theft is a big issue, but there is little awareness.

The problem could be made worse by high prices for fuel and other inputs, he said.

“I just want the awareness to be out there that everyone’s watching and doing the things to protect themselves, because I just think we’re all way too vulnerable and maybe too trusting in a lot of cases.”

» dmay@brandonsun.com 

» Twitter: @DrewMay_