Farmer loses $10,000 in cattle to thieves

County sheriff’s officers are investigating the theft of eight head of cattle owned by Cody Schafer of rural Tampa.

Schafer discovered a cut lock on a gate leading into a pasture on Diamond Rd. between 280th and 290th Rds. near Durham.

Schafer said eight head of black, red, or Charolais-cross cattle weighing 850 to 900 pounds each, were missing.

Each calf has a yellow ear tag in the left ear and a numbered ear tag in the right ear with the name “Schafer” on the tag. Each head also has an S brand on the right hip.

Schafer valued the loss at more than $10,000.

Marion County Sheriff Robert Craft said something like this seems to happen every three or four years. He said there were no solid leads in the case as of Monday.

The livestock investigator with the Kansas Attorney General’s office has been contacted and is assisting the sheriff’s office in locating the suspect(s) and cattle.

Anyone with information concerning this or any other theft is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at (620) 382-2144.