64 calves vanish overnight from Ohio farm in massive $100k cattle theft

by

A farm in Ohio lost 64 calves in a large overnight theft. The calves disappeared from a barn in Mercer County, according to reports.

The Mercer County Sheriff’s Office reports that several calves were stolen from a farm in Coldwater – a town about two hours north of Cincinnati – between 10 p.m. on May 2nd and 6 a.m. on May 3rd.

Local authorities say the stolen Holstein calves were each valued between $1,800 and $2,000, putting the total loss from the theft at potentially as much as $128,000.

The calves were owned by Gaerke Brother Farms, and Selhorst Farms was responsible for their initial feeding and care.

Derek Gaerke, a co-owner of the farm, explained in a Facebook post that the calves were about 13 weeks old and had just been separated from their mothers. They were being kept in a building originally used for turkeys, which had been converted into a space for young calves. He also mentioned that most of the calves had their tails shortened.

Investigators say theft required “serious equipment”

Mercer County Sheriff Doug Timmerman said investigators think the people involved knew how to work with and move cattle, suggesting they had experience with livestock.

Timmerman believes they likely stopped because a full trailer of something was being transported, which would naturally draw attention.

He added that the operation would have required much more than a regular vehicle.

You can’t just use a van to transport these cattle; you’d need a larger vehicle, like a truck with a trailer, or even a semi-truck, to handle the job,” Timmerman said.

As a farm animal enthusiast, I’ve been following this story about the stolen calves, and it sounds like whoever took them definitely had a plan. Police think they weren’t just taken randomly – the thieves probably intended to move them and either sell them or raise them themselves. Each calf is about 250 pounds, and a good way to identify them is by their coloring – they’re either black and white or red and white.

Investigators are looking at security camera recordings from around the area as they continue to investigate. They haven’t identified any suspects at this time.

Read More

2026-05-06 21:18