Kansas officials say record cattle prices have led to an increase in cattle theft reports.

Authorities say five longhorn cows and a bull, worth at least $10,000, were recently taken from a pasture in southeast Kingman County. A Reno County producer says four 600-pound calves were stolen this month.

The Kansas Animal Health Commissioner says that he noticed an uptick in theft reports funneled through his agency’s brands department.

On Monday, the Kansas attorney general and the state’s agriculture department announced an agreement to form a new investigative unit to combat the increase in cattle thefts. It will assist local law enforcement agencies in their suspected cattle theft investigations.

—

Associated Press information from: The Hutchinson  News