Utah ranchers are increasingly seeing their livelihoods disappear as the problem of cattle rustling grows in the West.
Steve Harmsen is the owner of the Indian Trail Ranch. For the past three years he has run his cattle in the Vernal area without incident—that is until this fall, when he was moving his heard and discovered that some of his cattle were missing.
“This year, we know how many cows and calves we have because we branded them and counted them,” Harmsen said. “We had missed 23 calves and three cows.”
Harmsen said he typically loses one or two cows each year, but missing this many was unusual and a sure sign of theft.
Lane Parker, owner of the Smithfield Livestock Auction, said a number of factors have come together to push the price of cattle up, and with it, theft.
“The price of cattle 7 to 10 years ago was less than half of what it is today,” Parker said. “The cattle industry has seen a decrease in cattle numbers for almost 13 years straight as far as total numbers in the United States.”
Fewer cows mean more demand, and Parker said a calf worth $1,000 just last year is now bringing in up to $1,600 at auction this year.
Despite the costlier products, Parker said demand for beef hasn’t gone down as much as experts had predicted, pushing the price for cattle into unknown territory.
Back at Indian Trail Ranch, Harmsen said all he can do is offer a reward for his cattle and watch his operation take a hit.
“People show up with a trailer and take calves,” Harmsen said. “It’s a pretty big paycheck for somebody.”
Parker said expansive ranches and unwatched herds are primed for someone looking to steal a lot of money.
“A would-be cattle thief could, in a 20-foot gooseneck trailer, potentially run off with one load of cattle and have $30,000 to $40,000 worth of cattle in one trailer,” Parker said.
For now, Harmsen said he’ll keep a closer eye on his heard and continue to spread the word about the thefts to keep this from happening to other ranchers.