Thieves can grab long spans of cable from unattended center pivots and escape undetected among acres of crops. Stolen span cable immediately cuts power to the pivot, stopping irrigation and potentially ruining crops.
Repairs can cost thousands of dollars, and repeated incidents can jeopardize insurance coverage.
One of the biggest challenges in stopping the epidemic of copper cable theft is proving rightful ownership so thieves can be prosecuted.
Proof Positive Span Cable, manufactured by Southwire Company and sold through Paige Electric Co, is a traceable, theft-deterrent span cable that provides proof of ownership.
Valley is the only center pivot irrigation manufacturer offering Proof Positive Span Cable through its dealer network.
“Until now, there was no way to prove ownership and that’s the only way you can prosecute thieves who steal span cable,” said Julie Bushell, director of sales and marketing at Paige Electric.
Proof Positive Span Cable is manufactured with unique TraceID codes printed on a tape inside the jacket. Upon sale, ownership data is entered in an online database accessible to recyclers and law enforcement.
A bright yellow outer jacket alerts recyclers – and thieves – that this is traceable cable. Recyclers can visit the Proof Positive tracking website to instantly identify stolen cable and verify ownership.
Pivot damage by vandals prompted grower Richard Linden of Litchfield, Nebraska, to purchase a Valley center pivot with Proof Positive Span Cable. “People are stealing cable out here, so I thought I’d try it and maybe deter the crime a bit,” Linden said. FG
—From Valley Irrigation news release
