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Pretty incredible to think about crop theft, but it is happening.
Local authorities are investigating three separate incidences of crop theft, one involving about 5 bushels of green beans, another countless tomato plants pulled out of the ground (tomato, vine, and all) and the other an untold amount of corn.
The thieves are apparently staking out certain farms and fields to determine what is growing and where it is growing. Then, the thieves will come along and harvest the crops before the owner even knows what happened. In all three instances, the farmer did not know he had been hit until the farmer himself went out to the field to harvest the crop.
Many farmers have turned under their crops due to the oppressive heat and sporadic rain.
It would be great to think that these are merely hungry people need food to eat. But the large quantities would indicate that most likely this is a group of people stealing to resell at local farmer's market.
This has raised some concerns for myself and my neighbor. The other day, I opened the front door of the house to take a couple of boxes out. When I opened the door, I noticed a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. I caught a glimpse of someone running back off my property to the vehicle, jump in and drive off. I thought that was kind of odd because obviously there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.
Then it dawned on me that it may have been someone either curious or checking the ripeness of my berry crops. I have a several very long rows of some premium Blackberry and Raspberry crops staked up. Since I had trimmed the hedges along the row, it makes it easier to see the crops from the road. The Blackberry and Raspberry are not near ripe at the moment. But these are high dollar cash crops. A pint container of blackberries or raspberries retail in a store is $3.99 to $4.99. That gives you anywhere between 20-24 berries per pack if that many.
I have bushes that will produce 10-20 pounds each. Theoretically, that would be well over $100 or more per bush in crop production.
My blueberry bushes are further off the road near the garage. Those bushes are equally as productive. I picked perhaps 1 gallon off one bush yesterday that probably weighed 4-5 pounds. I didn't make a dent in that one plant. I could have easily picked 5 gallons off that one plant (but too much weight in the container will crush the fruit).
Anyways, what do I do with this fruit? well, I have never sold any. I typically give it away to family, friends, co-workers...we eat it fresh, bake with it, or freeze it for later use.
What I am concerned about is not so much someone stealing the fruit (hell, they're free to pick all they want) but I am concerned that, rather than waste time picking it - they may just pull up the entire plant! That would be devastating! Typically you have to wait 2 years to get a harvest. Some of my blueberry bushes are nearly ten years old.
My neighbor has quite a watermelon crop coming in. Fortunately, it is in a ravine along the creek and not seen that often. But anyone who knows him knows he has watermelon. One year, he wholesaled the entire lot (crop) to a market for $2.00 each (he ended up with nearly 2500 watermelons) and that market retailed them for $5.00 or more each (some were Diamond Black Seedless...a green so dark it almost looks black and is the sweetest watermelon taste I have ever had). Now, he just had gall bladder surgery and is having complications (he's 75 years old) that very doubtful he will be able to harvest his corn (Silver Queen), his potato (Kennebec), beans (Blue Lake and Contender) and watermelon crop (three different varieties). I am trying to get up with his grandson to work out a plan to harvest his crop.
I'll feed anyone, give away food to anyone who needs it. But the biggest fear is two issues...these thieves have no respect or concern about ruining the entire plants to get what they want and...
as with any thief, typically when they make their mind to do something they won't let anyone stand in their way and may become violent.
I guess that is how life goes...you have something that someone else wants and they'll do anything they can to get it from you.
Local authorities are investigating three separate incidences of crop theft, one involving about 5 bushels of green beans, another countless tomato plants pulled out of the ground (tomato, vine, and all) and the other an untold amount of corn.
The thieves are apparently staking out certain farms and fields to determine what is growing and where it is growing. Then, the thieves will come along and harvest the crops before the owner even knows what happened. In all three instances, the farmer did not know he had been hit until the farmer himself went out to the field to harvest the crop.
Many farmers have turned under their crops due to the oppressive heat and sporadic rain.
It would be great to think that these are merely hungry people need food to eat. But the large quantities would indicate that most likely this is a group of people stealing to resell at local farmer's market.
This has raised some concerns for myself and my neighbor. The other day, I opened the front door of the house to take a couple of boxes out. When I opened the door, I noticed a vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. I caught a glimpse of someone running back off my property to the vehicle, jump in and drive off. I thought that was kind of odd because obviously there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.
Then it dawned on me that it may have been someone either curious or checking the ripeness of my berry crops. I have a several very long rows of some premium Blackberry and Raspberry crops staked up. Since I had trimmed the hedges along the row, it makes it easier to see the crops from the road. The Blackberry and Raspberry are not near ripe at the moment. But these are high dollar cash crops. A pint container of blackberries or raspberries retail in a store is $3.99 to $4.99. That gives you anywhere between 20-24 berries per pack if that many.
I have bushes that will produce 10-20 pounds each. Theoretically, that would be well over $100 or more per bush in crop production.
My blueberry bushes are further off the road near the garage. Those bushes are equally as productive. I picked perhaps 1 gallon off one bush yesterday that probably weighed 4-5 pounds. I didn't make a dent in that one plant. I could have easily picked 5 gallons off that one plant (but too much weight in the container will crush the fruit).
Anyways, what do I do with this fruit? well, I have never sold any. I typically give it away to family, friends, co-workers...we eat it fresh, bake with it, or freeze it for later use.
What I am concerned about is not so much someone stealing the fruit (hell, they're free to pick all they want) but I am concerned that, rather than waste time picking it - they may just pull up the entire plant! That would be devastating! Typically you have to wait 2 years to get a harvest. Some of my blueberry bushes are nearly ten years old.
My neighbor has quite a watermelon crop coming in. Fortunately, it is in a ravine along the creek and not seen that often. But anyone who knows him knows he has watermelon. One year, he wholesaled the entire lot (crop) to a market for $2.00 each (he ended up with nearly 2500 watermelons) and that market retailed them for $5.00 or more each (some were Diamond Black Seedless...a green so dark it almost looks black and is the sweetest watermelon taste I have ever had). Now, he just had gall bladder surgery and is having complications (he's 75 years old) that very doubtful he will be able to harvest his corn (Silver Queen), his potato (Kennebec), beans (Blue Lake and Contender) and watermelon crop (three different varieties). I am trying to get up with his grandson to work out a plan to harvest his crop.
I'll feed anyone, give away food to anyone who needs it. But the biggest fear is two issues...these thieves have no respect or concern about ruining the entire plants to get what they want and...
as with any thief, typically when they make their mind to do something they won't let anyone stand in their way and may become violent.
I guess that is how life goes...you have something that someone else wants and they'll do anything they can to get it from you.
