Bin Bandits

Fresno County fruit packer Mark Woods points to where alleged thieves ground identifying paint marks off the bins he rents from Del Monte.

Bin theft has cost Fresno County fruit packer Mark Woods about $190,000 this year. San Diego County grower/packer Al Stehly puts his figure at more like $500,000. And experts say these losses represent just the tip of this illicit activity's iceberg.

Bin bandits—or renegade harvesters, as many frustrated growers and packers call them—are affecting agriculture throughout the state.

Many packers allege that renegade harvesters are stealing the plastic bins used to haul harvested fruit and vegetables to the packinghouses. The problem is not just one or two missing bins but thousands of bins, resulting in what packers say could amount to several hundred thousand dollars in losses for each packer affected.

"Growers are getting tired of it. Packers are getting tired of it," said Stehly, a Valley Center citrus and avocado grower and packer. "You've got renegade citrus and avocado harvesters out there that don't own their own bins and just use whoever's they can find. They call it borrowing. We call it theft.

"Our county sheriff's office and district attorney feel that some of the stolen bins are being used for avocado thefts," Stehly said. "Not only is this an issue for the packinghouses losing capital items, it is an issue for growers who might be losing fruit."

San Diego County grower/packer Al Stehly just spent $500,000 to replace missing fruit bins. He places most of the blame on so-called renegade harvesters, who don't own their own bins.

Stehly said his packinghouse just spent a half a million dollars to replace missing bins. Because his operation runs year-round, he said he finds it difficult to shut down and inventory the bins. But when he comes up short by several thousand bins, he knows something is wrong.

"Thieves grind off the initials of my packinghouse and paint their own insignia over it. It is just so obvious," Stehly said. "Whenever I see growers using these packers, I wonder why they would use a packer that doesn't have his own bins and steals them from other packinghouses. Do you think he is going to be honest paying you for your fruit?"

Bin theft is as old as harvesting, Stehly said. There are handfuls of people who take bins home to use to feed their horses or hold firewood. But in this case, he said he believes disreputable packers are stealing bins to pick produce.

"What we are trying to do in the industry right now is crack down on the people taking entire truckloads of bins," Stehly said. "This occurs in almost every crop. Anybody who uses the plastic bins is going to have the same problem."

The loss of the containers also impacts growers because it adds to their packing costs.

Woods, of Wildwood Packing in Kingsburg, recently gathered 40 area citrus packers to meet with law enforcement and representatives from the Fresno County District Attorney's Office to see how their industry could bash the bin bandits.

"This problem is not new," Woods said. "Citrus is the most vulnerable commodity because when guys are picking stone fruit and grapes, these are small blocks so it is one contractor picking for one packinghouse. Where we are picking at right now, there are 6,500 acres and 10 packinghouses."

Woods reported the loss of 1,400 bins valued at about $135 each. Over the years he has seen his bins in places that are nowhere near where his fruit is being picked, including as far south as Mexico.

"Every year the theft of these bins is a major problem and now it's gotten worse," said Kent Cheeseborough, field superintendent for Duda Farm Fresh Foods in Visalia. "The packinghouses are fed up and somehow we have to put a stop to it."

Cheeseborough said because the bins are used by growers of many agricultural commodities including stone fruit, tomatoes and cherries, the problem is widespread and costly.

Ajayab Dhaddey, California Canning Peach Association field operations manager, said the peach sector is feeling the impact of bin theft.

"We haven't been able to prove where somebody has sanded off the names of the processors, but it is getting to be a concern in the peach industry," Dhaddey said.

What makes the issue even more difficult to solve is that packers often share and trade bins among one another with the understanding that the bins will be returned. Fresno County Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Savrnoch said this is problematic when trying to prosecute these cases.

"I'm not telling you we can't prosecute these cases, but I would say it is very difficult. I need to be able to show who the bins actually belong to and that the person who has them in their possession now has affirmatively done something to take that person's name off," Savrnoch said. "I don't know how many of the missing bins are accidental and how many are actually being stolen.

"We know that the way the industry is currently set up, it is inevitable that you are going to end up with some other company's bins in your possession and you will not have a bill of sale for those bins and you will not be able to prove ownership," Savrnoch said.

While discussing bin theft at last month's meeting in Fresno County, Central Valley citrus packers learned that they must first develop an industry standard of inventory control for the bins.

"We are waiting for the industry to develop some standards that they are going to work from before we decide if we are going to push legislation or local ordinances that govern how the bins are handled," said Sgt. Mark Bray of the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, who attended the meeting with rural crime units from surrounding counties.

A problem for local law enforcement related to theft of bins is the lack of reporting when thefts do occur, he said.

"The word is getting out that there are these huge bin thefts, but going back through our records, Fresno County has only had four reports on these thefts in the last three years and I think Tulare County has had two. So packers have to report these thefts," Bray said.

In the coming months, growers and packers from across the state representing a variety of commodities will meet to develop a set of industry standards for the way these containers are used and inventoried. County Farm Bureaus, with help from the California Farm Bureau Federation, will spearhead the process.

"The importance of this issue was brought to light by a group of growers and packers who know changes to the current system need to take place," said Danielle Rau, California Farm Bureau Federation director of rural crime prevention. "With guidance from the farm community and law enforcement, we can put together a plan of action that will go a long way toward stopping these crimes throughout California."

Rau is attempting to measure the extent of the bin theft problem. Growers or packers who have been affected are encouraged to call her at (800) 698-3276 ext. 5598 or fill out the online survey.

(Christine Souza is a reporter for Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)