Risk of farm crime rises with grain harvest

“The thing about farm crime during harvest season is the fact that everyone is busy and the machines are out, for example, you might knock off at midnight and have a few trucks, ute, header, tractor or chaser bin left out,” he said.

Mr Mellings said expensive equipment left inside farm machinery could tempt burglars. “UHF radios fitted to trucks and headers can be worth $400, a fuel trailer could be worth four to five thousand dollars, and a couple thousand dollars worth of diesel in it.”

He said machinery left sitting in paddocks were easy targets and to make sure cabs were locked.

“If possible, bring them home or move them away from main roads — hide them behind trees or a dam bank.”

Mr Mellings lives between Donald and Warracknabeal and said there had been a recent increase in suspicious activity.

“A ute was stolen and set on fire and there has been a few burglaries in the region recently,” he said.

“There was a suspicious vehicle around the area and one of the neighbours took down the number plate which was handed into the police.

“It's important to take note of number plate details and the time and date, and it doesn't hurt to ring the neighbours to make them aware of it.”

Mr Mellings said cameras were not cheap but were an easy way to deter burglars.

“If you can, get cameras and fit them around the property for peace of mind, quite often before they can do anything they're caught on camera.”

Visit the VFF website for more information on farm crime prevention.