Pig Theft on the Rise: A Few Bad Eggs or Organized Crime?

Farmers in Mitchell County, Iowa, are reporting hundreds of pig thefts in the area and along the Minnesota border, and officials aren't even sure how they're pulling it off.

According to the Des Moines Register, Mitchell County hog farmers have lost more than 350 hogs since February. Combine that with recent Minnesota thefts -- 150 hogs were lifted from Nicollet County farmers and more than 550 from a single Kandiyohi County farmer, and we're looking at almost 1,000 snatched pigs.

If you're not familiar with pig prices, The Des Moines Register estimates 200 of the hogs recently stolen out of Iowa (relatively small 50-pounders) were worth around $10,000 total, or $50 a piece. The 700 stolen out of Minnesota added up to a whopping $134,000, pricing those pigs at just under $200 each.

Reed Kuper, an Iowa farmer who lost 150 hogs in February, thinks it's the work of just a few thieves.

He said, "What used to be a pretty safe and clean environment has been altered by a few bad eggs," adding these pigs thieves have been getting "greedier and more gutsy" since his own hogs were heisted a few months ago.

Police aren't so sure. They suspect a more elaborate operation is under way.

Nicollet County investigator Marc Chadderdon told The Des Moines Register, "It would take a well-organized operation to transport this many animals. I think they go out and they’re doing their recon ahead of time, and they’re picking these barns for reasons."

Kuper argues a couple of men could theoretically snatch up 100 hogs in "seven minutes."

You might be asking, why pigs? Because they're the perfect balance between size and value. Horses are too heavy and difficult to control, while chickens wouldn't even bring home the bacon.