Great Bend ? A recent string of copper thefts has some southwestern Kansas farmers worrying about their property and reconsidering how to protect it.

With copper prices skyrocketing – about $4 a pound – thieves are targeting everything from copper wiring in houses to copper around ballpark lights. Farmers’ irrigation systems have not been immune.

Not long after the fall crop was harvested, thieves stole copper from farmer Scott Loving’s irrigation system. Damage totaled more than $1,500.

“It’s really changed our thinking,” Loving told The Hutchinson News. “You now have to change the way we operate to make things a little safer.”

He said farmers are locking up sheds, gates and even tractors when leaving the field for the evening.

Kansas Farm Bureau officials said the problem is “chronic.” Several members from across the state have reported similar thefts.

Two recent irrigation theft cases in Reno County totaled about $6,000 in losses, Detective Sheldon Stewart said. Those thefts occurred between April 20 and April 28 in north-central Reno County.

Barton County Undersheriff Gary Vaughan said it’s a problem across the country.

“It is just a nightmare,” Vaughan said. “But it’s not just a Barton County problem. It is everywhere.”

He said farmers also have reported missing aluminum irrigation piping. Those thefts should subside once the systems are turned on this spring.

But with diesel prices nearing $4 a gallon, Vaughan expects his staff will soon be dealing with more irrigation fuel theft cases. In one case, thieves siphoned about 4,000 gallons from a 10,000-gallon diesel tank.

Thieves may find it easier to target rural areas. Vaughan noted that he typically has three deputies covering Barton County’s 900 square miles.

“There are a lot of square miles out there,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can.”

Stewart and Vaughan have advised residents to report any suspicious activity. That includes flashlights in a field, unfamiliar cars on the side of the roadway and even fires.

Vaughan said authorities have found fires where thieves are burning off rubber from the copper wiring.

“People need to be aware that it is a large problem,” Vaughan said.