Les Wedderburn, who runs a farm with his brother near Alexander, Man., Said he checked grain buckets one winter day when he discovered that someone had stolen 1,500 to 1,600 canola bushels from one of the the bins. “The canola was lost at night, it’s what it looks like, so the people who did it realized it and came and did the work,” he said on Thursday, adding that he believed the canola had been stolen about a month earlier. Wedderburn estimates the theft from the $ 40,000 canola farm. “It’s a bit of a kick in the pants. You know, you work all year, and it’s like subtracting someone’s full salary for the year,” he said. “It makes you feel a little sick to think you’re going to a lot of work for nothing and someone can just drive to your yard and get something and hope to get away with it. I really, really hope this does not happen. “ The Rivers Police Department has confirmed that it is investigating the alleged theft, however there are challenges in the investigation. “As the theft took place in an isolated, rural area, there are no known witnesses to the incident. The neighborhood was searched by police, but no evidence has emerged,” Rivers police said in a statement to CTV News. “Given the absence of witnesses, CCTV systems, forensic evidence and / or witnesses, this issue is quite difficult.” Wedderburn said he was passing any information he received to police and warning other farmers to be vigilant. “I just think farmers do not realize how vulnerable they are to this. We would be the first to admit that we did not know we were so vulnerable until it happened,” he said. “I hope people have their eyes open.” This is the first time Wedderburn has stolen canola from his farm and he is now taking precautions to ensure it does not happen again. He has installed cameras attached to his phone and now uses a product called Crop Guard – a confetti-like product placed on wheat with a unique serial number registered to the farmer. “It’s like closing the gate after the horse came out, but I will have it ready from now on,” he said. Wedderburn said he was concerned that this type of theft would become more common due to the high cost of fuel and fertilizers, along with high commodity prices. “There are a lot of people with their backs to the wall,” he said, adding that there will be more challenges for farmers next year. “I think there may be some people who do some stupid things they would not normally do. But when they are with their backs to the wall, they take risks.” The Manitoba RCMP said it had received another report of grain theft. In March, a farmer in the RM of Argyle reported that about 2,000 barrels of wheat had been stolen from a bucket of grain stored on his property in mid-August 2021. Rivers police said they are continuing to work with Wedderburn and the RCMP to investigate the crime and prevent similar thefts from happening in the future. Anyone who witnesses a suspicious activity should call the local police or the Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit an online advice.
