The victims of a thief who stole more than $12,000 worth of Dekalb seed corn are posting a reward for information about the crime.
Someone stole 33 bags of the seed Sunday from a farm in the 1600 block of 140th Avenue Southeast in Eyota Township, authorities said. The owners are offering a cash reward of $1,000 for any information that leads to the recovery of the stolen seed corn and/or the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
The bags can be identified by this data: DKC49-29 (Lot #769DDM9JT) is printed on 22 bags; the other 11 are marked DKC48-12 (Lot #786MJ77JX).
The seed is valued at $12,600.
Not only has the farmer lost the value of the seed, he's also lost the potential income from its eventual harvest. Each bag is enough to plant between two and three acres, said Mychal Wilmes, editor of AgriNews — for a total of about 77-78 acres.
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Farmers like to see a harvest of 200 bushels per acre, he said. That value depends on the market prices at the time; last year's market paid about $4.50 per bushel. Market price this spring is $3.70 per bushel, Wilmes said.
"Somebody out there knows something about this," Behrns said. "If they know of someone who's planting (more than usual), they can leave an anonymous tip at Crime Stoppers."
That number is 800-222-TIPS.
