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35 farm406 for the black market, but it could be if preventative measures are not taken. Preventing Theft with Routine Habits "It's rare to have stolen items recovered," said Kevin Kittredge of Pioneer Insurance Agency in Fort Benton. "That's what makes prevention so important." Make stealing time consuming. If it takes time to steal an item, it is usually left behind. Lock up daily. Installing locks and solid core or steel doors with the hinges on the inside stalls a thief who will look for an easier target. Overhead doors with electric openers can become powerless by simply unplugging the opener. Even without an electric opener, overhead doors can be immobilized by placing a nail or bolt through a hole in the track. Ranchers usually brand and mark their livestock. Feedlots should also have a method for keeping track of their livestock. Ear notching and tattooing are permanent ways to mark livestock and difficult to alter. Don't leave any equipment accessible, such as forklifts, front-end loaders, or wrenches that would aid the thief. Know who has your keys and take inventory of them regularly. Be certain to get keys back when an employee leaves. Use unduplicated restricted or high-security keys, and don't hide keys. Trespassers know to look over door ledges and under rocks and doormats. Get to know your neighbors. Then leave equipment in their view if it can't be seen from your house. When you must leave equipment in the field, take the key and lock the door. Prevention can be taken by removing a fuse to a critical operating system or installing a fuel line shutoff. Lowering implements to the ground prevents towing, and keeping transport wheels on the ground deters tire thieves Thieves steal more than a farmer's products and equipment. It is better to protect mail, especially those containing checks, credit card bills, etc., by obtaining a post office box rather than having mail delivered to remote mail boxes on little-traveled roads. At least don't send mail via the rural mail box where the red flag indicates that something valuable may be inside. Specific Preventive Measures It takes time, but in the end it may be a saving factor to inventory critical farm assets, such as buildings, vehicles, machinery, computers, supplies, raw materials, livestock, crops, etc. The farmer should focus on what he cannot afford to lose. Lloyd Cunniff, owner of Beeline Honey in Choteau, Montana, lost 488 bee hives to rustlers in California last winter. Each year he sends bees to the almond groves during pollination season. That's when the bee hives disappeared. Homemade lids and handles were the identifying marks enabling him to recover some of the hives, but the problem wasn't solved then. He was uncertain if the remaining bees had contacted disease An electric fence can be a deterrent for humans as well as animals.