SOLEDAD, Calif. -- RC Farms said the loss of the 350 sprinkler heads all for the high price of copper has caused some setbacks. While they didn't know specifics yet, other growers in the Salinas Valley have felt the pain and said there's nothing full proof yet to protect them.
"They will find a way to steal, all you have to hope for is that your there at the right time," said Dale Huss, with Ocean Mist.
Huss said that's about as close as you can get to stop the never ending ag theft on the Central Coast.
"We didn't find out until we started the system and then we had geysers everywhere," said Huss.
Ocean Mist in Castroville is just one of the dozens of farms that have dealt with theft. Monday, RC Farms in Soledad was hit in broad daylight, and in one sweep the thieves cost the farms thousands.
However, the 350 sprinkler heads stolen is nothing compared to the total amount of ag equipment stolen last year. In 2012, 50,000 sprinkler heads were stolen and there was 600,000 tractor thefts. Also, there was so much theft of actual crops it has not been measured.
"They steal right out in front, right in the open its unbelievable," said Huss.
With only one investigator in the ag theft department in Monterey County, growers have started taking action on their own.
Cannon Michael set up metal spike strips to catch the thieves. Other Central Coast growers said they've set up cameras and added lights to their fields. But for Huss, the best form of attack to the theft is to look out for each other.
"That kind of paying attention is what's most important, its no different than your neighborhood," said Huss.
Legislators are working on a bill that would force a more stream-lined process of recording ag theft across the state. That way, the criminals can't continue to jump from county to county, reducing repeat offenders.
