Though thefts were down during times when people might be celebrating, they were up during the week prior to Christmas. This may be accounted for by an increase in burglaries at equipment rental outlets.
"It is possible that some thefts may as yet still be undiscovered, which may change the holiday statistics going forward," the NER report stated.
Of the things that were taken, tractors were the fourth-most stolen pieces of equipment. Overall, the states with the highest rates of equipment theft were Texas, California, Missouri, Florida and South Carolina.
Recently, two equipment-theft rings were broken up by authorities in New Jersey. Both of those rings stole farm equipment in a number of different states.
Though thieves may target equipment, there are things people can do in order to avoid becoming victims, the NER said. If equipment is not going to be used, owners should consider implementing lockout devices or disabling circuits used for ignition.
