 Vandals
- Many farmers have had crops, animals or other property damaged for no apparent reason. Events that cause damage to livestock, equipment, fences, gates, mailboxes, and/or buildings often defy common sense. Limited access, "No Trespassing" signs, strategic lighting, stepped up patrols, neighborhood watches, and careful placement of equipment left in fields help deter vandals and mischief-makers.
Trespassers
- The jogger, the dog walker, the snowmobiler, and even your next-door neighbor may trample your crops, damage fences, dump contaminated trash or be injured. Can you be held liable in a court of law? Perhaps. In some states, a person cannot be arrested for trespassing unless he or she has been forewarned to stay away, so it is important to post “No Trespassing” signs. A good relationship with neighbors is helpful if you need to restrict access during busy planting, spraying, or harvesting seasons.
Thieves
- The common criminal is most often motivated by monetary gain but can often be deterred by the risk of getting caught, so take the time to secure your assets. It is important to identify, document, and secure valuable items that might tempt intruders. Keep tabs on your inventory, recording all vehicle identification numbers and license plate numbers. Accurate records make it easy to determine if something is missing, which might otherwise go undetected. Videos, scanned documents, and photographs stored off-site can be extremely important in assessing the value of lost or damaged property. Determine what needs to be insured and secured.
Extremists
- Extremists are activists who, rather than working through appropriate channels to effect change, resort to criminal acts to attract attention, including trespassing, burning buildings, releasing animals, destroying genetically modified plants or driving steel spikes into trees scheduled for harvest. They tend to work in specific geographical areas and with specific types of facilities. Ask an informed county sheriff or state police officer to find out if your farm is at risk. Place your valuable or vulnerable property in locations where it can be better protected and is less likely to be targeted. Find out if you are insured for damage caused by protesters.
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