NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Agricultural crime is a serious problem in the United States, with significant financial consequences for farmers, insurers and consumers. Some sources estimate that agricultural crime results in $5 billion in economic losses annually. Yet few prevention or reduction interventions have been developed.

In 2000, the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) decided to combat agricultural crime with the creation of the Agricultural Crime Unit (ACU). TDA’s unit has proven to be effective in this war on agricultural crime.

Earlier this month, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee honored Special Agent in Charge Greg Whitehead of the TDA with the Governor’s Excellence in Service Award. Whitehead leads TDA’s Agricultural Crime Unit, a team of law enforcement officers who enforce state laws and regulations related to agriculture, forestry, animal health and agribusinesses in Tennessee.

“The ACU is made up of eight special agents who investigate crime scenes related to woodland, hay or barn arson, livestock theft, crimes against persons or property and other agricultural criminal activity,” Whitehead said. “Our agents gather important information such as witness statements, fingerprints and other physical evidence. Our purpose is to protect all farming activities and agricultural practices from criminal activity in Tennessee.”

When you think about special agents in law enforcement you might not immediately imagine a team bringing down a ring of cattle thieves, but that’s just the type of crime Tennessee’s ACU might undertake.

The ACU handles an average of 200 cases per year, affecting approximately 5,300 acres of privately owned woodland and 43,500 head of livestock. Whitehead’s crew investigates everything from the intentional killing of livestock to timber to crop theft.

According to Whitehead, 70 percent of the cases his staff received since 2016 have been forestry related, while 21 percent involve animal health, and the remaining 9 percent pertain to other agricultural matters.

“We arrested one arsonist who had been setting woodland fires across eight counties, costing our citizens tens of thousands of dollars,” Whitehead said. “We also worked a case involving $672,000 worth of stolen Tennessee livestock. The animals were sold through various livestock markets across the country. After more than four months of investigative work, the suspect was charged with 12 felony counts.”

The Tennessee ACU is not the only agricultural crime unit in the country.

In Mississippi, victims of timber, livestock or farm equipment theft call MALTB (Mississippi Agricultural and Livestock Theft Bureau). MALTB was formed in 1993 with the intention of recovering missing farm property. MALTB has a director and nine certified law enforcement investigators who have jurisdiction to investigate agriculture-related incidents and arrest violators.

“A lot of times, local sheriff’s departments are so busy working violent crimes, they don’t have a lot of time to spend when someone’s equipment or livestock are stolen,” said MALTB Director Jeff Steward. “We specialize in agricultural thefts.”

In California, Tulare County leads the nation in dairy production and ranks as one of the largest agricultural producing counties in the entire nation. This area is a target for thieves. Due to this, Sheriff Mike Boudreaux has made his Agricultural Crimes Unit, or ACU, one of his top priorities. Boudreaux’s department consists of six detectives, one sergeant and one lieutenant.

“We’re responsible for all crimes agricultural in nature, including but not limited to cattle theft, copper wire thefts, tree nut thefts, tractor and trailer thefts, and fuel thefts,” he said. “Our ACU has specific liaisons for the areas of row crops, citrus, cattle, dairy and tree nuts.”

In Florida one will find the Florida Agricultural Crimes Intelligence Unit, designed to promote and facilitate the exchange of agriculture-related intelligence to law enforcement officers specializing in agriculture crime in that state. This group was formed in 1992.

Alabama took action against agricultural crime in 2013 with creation of its Agriculture Rural Crime Unit (ARCU). The unit is tasked with investigating agriculture and rural crimes such as theft of farm animals and farm equipment. In its first month of existence the unit made 14 felony arrests and recovered stolen property valued at more than $500,000. ARCU is composed of 10 state investigators from four different state agencies.

When the heads of each crime unit were asked about agriculture theft prevention, the list was long and mostly unanimous: Lock gates and equipment, keep areas well lit, install security cameras, photograph all livestock and equipment, mark equipment for identification, brand livestock, count livestock daily, report missing animals immediately, watch out for strangers and report unusual activity, record tag numbers, vary your schedule and feeding times, and (if possible) keep livestock and equipment out of view.