By Associated Press
Brewton, AL – Officials say the bad economy is driving an increase in cattle theft in rural southwest Alabama.
Christy Kirk, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture says so far this year there have been 29 cases of theft reported for a total of 210 cattle. She says that's more than all the cases handled last year.
In 2008, there were 27 cases reported involving 309 cattle. The year before that, there were 46 cases with 447 cattle.
Kirk says this year's numbers could be even higher because local police don't always report it to the state.
The Alabama Cattlemen's Association says that cattle-raising is a $3 billion business in the state.