Cattle Rustling

Agriculture, much as it was a century ago, is a vital part of Texas; agriculture contributes over $73 billion annually to the Texas economy and employs 1 out of every 7 Texans. And nothing could be more synonymous with agriculture in Texas than cattle; Texas remains the #1 cattle producer in the United States.

2008 was a tough year for most Texas ranchers. Hurricane Ike roared ashore reducing homes and barns to kindling, obliterating hundreds of miles of fencing, killing cattle and horses or stranding them to die of thirst and starvation. Ranchers scrambled frantically to save as many as possible amid thousands of acres of pastureland ruined by the salty storm surge.

2009 has turned out to be no less challenging in other ways; dropping cattle prices, rising fuel, feed, and fertilizer costs prompted many Texas ranchers to reduce their herds, including breeding stock. Severe and on-going drought conditions and wildfires dried up water sources and rendered pastures unusable in some areas of the state. Added to this the uncontrolled feral hog population inflicts millions of dollars in damages to ponds, fences, roads, feed crops and pastures annually.

At a time when many Texas ranchers are struggling just to stay in business another trial steps forward to plague the ranching industry – an increase in cattle rustling. Yep, cattle rustling is alive and well; the only difference is the rustlers have traded their horses for trucks and trailers to make off with the herd! And they don’t limit it to just the cattle; they steal farm equipment as well– tractors, trailers, tools, horse tact, etc.

Incidents of cattle rustling have been reported in many states, including Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Tennessee, Florida, and Louisiana. The number of reported incidents in Texas alone tripled between 2007 and 2008. And it’s not always strangers doing the “dirty deed”, sometimes its family members or others known to the cattle owner.

Since the gestation period for cattle is about 9 months, owners may have a 2 – 3 year or more investment in each animal lost; cattle theft represents a significant financial loss in both time and money to farmers and ranchers.

In 2009 the Texas legislature passed a bill to increase the criminal penalties for cattle theft in Texas. History can attest to the fact as our economy spirals downward, the incidents of cattle rustling, as well as other crimes, rise. It remains to be seen how effective this statutory change will be in curbing cattle rustling in the future.

In the meantime, cattle owners are encouraged to brand their cattle, keep a close watch over their livestock and report thefts as soon as possible – swift action can sometimes lead to the apprehension of the rustlers.