The Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers has announced a $10,000 reward to assist the Allamakee County Sheriff's Office for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons involved in livestock farm vandalism cases endangering livestock in late December or early January in the eastern part of the county.

An additional reward of $5,000 is also being offered from local support to find the person or persons responsible for the vandalism to the barns, bringing the total reward amount to $15,000. In these cases, the vandals attempted to start the barns on fire – while the barns were full of pigs.

The sheriff's department says the reward will assist investigators as they move forward with the case. They are hopeful that someone with knowledge about what happened will step forward and contact their office, and it is their intent to see this investigation through to a timely and successful outcome. They would also like to remind farmers to be vigilant in monitoring their farms as well as their neighbor's farms. If you observe suspicious activity, do not investigate it on your own; call the sheriff's department immediately and report it.

Brian Waddingham, executive director of the Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers, says farmers strongly condemn animal abuse and hopes the reward will help resolve the case.

"Iowa's livestock farmers go to great lengths to ensure the health, safety and well-being of their livestock, and when senseless acts like this occur it becomes a concern for all of those involved in agriculture," he said.

The Coalition to Support Iowa's Farmers is a non-profit organization that assists livestock farmers who want help interpreting rules and regulations, guidance on good site locations for barns, counsel on enhancing neighbor relations and tips on how to protect the environment at no cost. This positive, solutions-based approach to helping livestock farmers grow is a collaborative effort involving the Iowa Beef Industry Council, Iowa Cattlemen's Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Iowa Farm Bureau, Iowa Pork Producers Association, Iowa Poultry Association, Iowa Soybean Association, Iowa Turkey Federation and Midwest Dairy. Farm families wanting a helping hand can contact the Coalition at 1-800-932-2436. For more information about the Coalition, visit their site.

CSIF has offered more than $25,000 in rewards since its launch in 2004 to help solve livestock vandalism cases throughout the state. Anyone with information in the case is encouraged to contact the Allamakee County Sheriff’s Office.