FLOMATON, AL - Cattle rustling is on the rise in Alabama.

One Flomaton farmer found that out the hard way earlier this month.

Channel Three's Jake Peterson tells us what happened.

"Since there have been cows, there has been cow theft."

And Alabama Sheriff's Departments are seeing more and more reports on the crime.

Sheriff Grover Smith's office took one earlier this month.

"At first, he thought they got through the fence and escaped."

But then the cattlemen noticed his fence had been tampered with.

The sheriff believes the farmer's 13 cows were loaded up and taken away.

"People are out of working and they are going to do whatever to get some money and stealing is always a method for people who arent to make sacrifices."

The Black Angus cows are worth nearly a thousand dollars a piece.

The livestock in this case are branded with these symbols.

Sheriff Smith says every farmer should brand their cows and take inventory.

"Count their cows on a regular basis and let us know immediately."

"We've had cows about 15 years."

Escambia County rancher Theresa Tichi says she often counts her cows and checks the property for anything suspicious.

"We watch them real close. We've never had any problems."

She's surprised someone would take so many cows from one person. She thinks the cows are probably long gone.

"They would haul it to another county and sell and they probably have their own farm to take them to."

The sheriff's department is checking with livestock dealers for the missing cows.

The Alabama Agriculture Department says authorities investigated 27 cattle rustling cases in 2008.

This year, they've already investigated 29 cases.

The Alabama Cattlemen's Association is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone stealing cattle belonging to one of its members.Cattle Theft On Rise in Alabama