News: With hay prices skyrocketing due to the drought, hay thievery is also on the rise

An NPR story aired this morning might leave you wanting to padlock your hayloft.

According to the story, “The deep drought across much of the nation, and an economy that’s been struggling to get going in recent years appear to have combined to make hay quite valuable and quite attractive to thieves.”

Bales left in the field prior to being harvested are particularly at risk for being stolen, as they’re easy-access to roadways.

Some law enforcement agencies have resorted to creative methods of cracking down on the crimes. One Oklahoma sheriff even went so far as to put a GPS tracking device inside a hay bale to track the thief.

Listen to the full story here.

Thanks to Caitrin O’Shea and Bernadette Kilcer for the tip!

Top photo: Wikimedia Commons