Link to the Show / Show NotesJORDAN VALLEY, Ore. – The term “cattle rustling” might conjure scenes from an old spaghetti western. But in the vast desert range of Oregon, Idaho and Nevada, cattle rustling is a modern-day problem. In the past three years nearly 27-hundred cattle have gone missing in Oregon. Wanted posters are being tacked up in small-town shops. The nation’s poor economy isn’t helping. Correspondent Anna King explored some of that remote desert country in southeast Oregon. She has our story.
The rangeland outside of Jordan Valley, Oregon is vast. Out here beef cattle range for months at a time over thousands of miles.
[Sound: Wind on bluff, cattle…. Hardware store]
Jayne Collins runs a hardware store in the tiny town of Jordan Valley. Collins and her husband also run a medium-sized cattle operation with about 700 head. The couple lost 100 pregnant cows, and their peace of mind, a few winters ago.
Jayne Collins: “When this thing happened and we were sure that these cattle were stolen I haven’t had a full night sleep since then.”
Collins says the stolen cattle and the down economy has set them back significantly. She and her husband are unable to buy new farm equipment, take a vacation or retire anytime [...]
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