Thieves took about 1,300 bushels of grain, RCMP say
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Grain from a property in southwestern Saskatchewan has been stolen.
A May 5 community update from the Ponteix RCMP indicates 1,300 bushels of durum seed went missing from a rural property about 8 kilometres south of Ponteix.
The investigation has determined the theft occurred between April 28 and May 5, and the criminal(s) removed the seed from a bin.
It’s estimated the volume of seed weighed about 78,000 pounds, or 35 tonnes.
Based on the May 11 price of $562.48 per tonne for 1 Canada Western Amber Durum posted on the Saskatchewan government’s website, the value of the durum seed was about $19,686.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Ponteix RCMP at 306-625-6400.
This is at least the second instance of grain theft to occur in Western Canada this year.
In March, Les Wedderburn, a farmer from Rivers, Man. lost 1,600 bushels of canola, worth about $40,000 after thieves tampered with one of his grain bins.
Prairie farmers have been victims of other thefts in 2022 as well.
In February, Bashaw RCMP in Alberta received a call that a tractor and grain truck had been stolen from a local farm.
And in April, Airdrie RCMP in Alberta began investigating after two dead cows were discovered behind a cemetery in Swalwell.
The cows were found skinned and with their meat taken.