Thieves are targeting farmers for this valuable metal

Proden says copper wire on wheeled irrigation pivots were stolen (Alex Karpa/CTV News).

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, MAN. – For years, Rachael Proden’s family farm, has dealt with rural thefts where tools, ATVs, trucks, and GPS systems have all disappeared. But a recent wave of copper wire thefts is proving especially costly.

Her family’s farm which sits south of Portage la Prairie, about 84 kilometres west of Winnipeg, has been the target of thieves who have allegedly been stripping copper wire from her farm’s wheeled irrigation systems. The theft leaves the equipment unusable and has forced the family to absorb significant repair costs.

“We’re thinking it’s going to be around $20,000 that we are going to have to spend to fix it,” Proden said.

“It’s not cheap.”

Wheeled irrigation pivots are large, mechanized irrigation systems used to water crops.

The irrigation system, which is typically hundreds of metres long, has copper wire running across the entire length of the equipment. The copper wire acts as the power source for irrigation equipment, which can stretch hundreds of metres across fields. Without it, the systems can’t operate.

“It’s tough,” she said.

The damage hasn’t stopped there.

Proden said the copper wire in one of her corn planters were also stripped, completely destroying the equipment in the process.

She said they were forced to buy a new machine, which cost them around $50,000 to replace.

“It’s been really frustrating to have to work through that,” she said. “It’s extra expenses on a year where margins are very tight. Fertilizer is at an all-time high for cost, seed is expensive, equipment is expensive.”

“Looking at replacing stuff, when they weren’t in the budget, is frustrating and kind of nerve-wracking.”

The thefts also affected this year’s production plans.

Proden said the family intended to plant about 1,500 acres of corn this year but scaled that back to roughly 1,000 acres after the planter was damaged.

Manitoba RCMP said they were notified of the thefts on May 25, and continue to investigate.

Proden says she has spoken with several producers in the region who have experienced similar thefts.

‘Rural theft is a big thing’

In addition to dealing with the operations of a farm, Colin Penner who farms in Elm Creek, Man., says he is constantly keeping an eye out for his property.

“We can often tell if someone’s in the neighbourhood that shouldn’t be here,” he said.

“Things do tend to pick up seasonally, especially in the fall.”

“You always hope for the best in people, but then you kind of have to assume the worst, if someone’s driving through your yard at nighttime,” he said.

While Penner hasn’t had copper wire stolen from his own equipment, he says the incidents affecting neighbouring farms are concerning.

To protect his property, he has installed lights and security cameras – measures he said have become necessary.

“Rural theft is a big thing,” he said. “We depend on our tractors, our trucks and our equipment for our livelihood, and when they disappear on us, it can really impact how we can do our job.”

The concerns come as Statistics Canada reports that the Prairie provinces continue to record the highest crime severity indexes in the country, with rural Manitoba ranking second in the country for crime rates.

For Proden, the theft is another challenge in an already difficult year. She believes more needs to be done to address both the crimes and the market for stolen copper.

“We’re just kind of frustrated with the system, in general,” she said. “The fact that there’s somewhere that somebody can sell this copper wire to is kind of it’s frustrating.”

“If some Joe Blow is showing up with a roll of copper wire that’s a quarter mile long and can’t prove where he got it from, why is a scrap yard still taking that?”

In response, farmers in the Portage la Prairie area, led by Proden, are offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the recent thefts.