Beware on the range: Cattle rustling in Texas is up

Watch out on the range, pardner, because cattle rustling in Texas is up. The number of cattle stolen from Texas ranches in 2010 rose 15 percent from the previous year and was three times the figure of three years ago, according to data released on Friday. The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, which employs special investigators to work with lawmen to investigate cattle theft, said the number of cattle stolen in 2010 reached 7,400 head compared with 6,400 the previous year and only 2,400 in 2007. "We attribute much of that to the economy," the Association's Carmen Fenton said. She says high levels of rural unemployment and poverty lead to more cattle thefts, and she says rustlers have noticed the skyrocketing price of beef. Prices for live cattle surged by more than 20 percent during 2010 to around 110 cents per pound by the end of the year, based on Chicago futures market. Prices have continued to rise this year and now stand at more than 120 cents a pound. Rancher Emil 'Sonny' Seewald says stealing cattle can be much more lucrative than other types of theft. "On the cattle they can get the full market price," he said. "If they steal a car or the stereo out of your car, they won't get but ten cents on the dollar."...more