200 Angus beef cattle reportedly stolen and replaced with cheaper cows

Nearly 200 prized Angus beef cattle, worth $371,000, were stolen from a North Carolina farm between March and mid-April.
Investigators with the State Bureau of Investigation say that 114 cows and 75 calves were stolen from K-Farms in Alamance County. Agent Gerald Thomas believes a farm employee may have stolen them.
He said the cows are top breed Angus beef cows valued at $2,800 each and the calves at $700 apiece. The owner of the farm, Ronald Kirkpatrick, is in hospital and is unable to talk about the theft, but is offering a $10,000 reward for information and arrest of the person responsible, agent Thomas said.
Kirkpatrick said he counted the herd in early January and all were accounted for, but a recount on April 12 showed a discrepancy. The owner told sheriff's investigators he discovered approximately 30-40 cheaper grade cows in the field and believed the suspect was taking the good cattle and replacing some of them with cheaper cows so no one would notice.