October 28, 2025 (Tulare, CA) — As ag theft continues to rise across California, Farmblox today announced a new product line designed to deter and fight the theft of critical farm resources, including copper wire, pumps, fences and more. The COP-R-LOCK system, developed in close collaboration with ag crime expert Bobby Rader, leverages Farmblox’s sensor network to provide real-time alerts on criminal activity—even in the most remote and low-connectivity areas of farmland.
Agricultural crime costs the U.S. roughly $5 billion annually in equipment damage alone, affecting farmers, insurers, and consumers alike. From January to September 2025 in California’s Tulare County alone, more than $1 million in losses and damages from agricultural theft have been reported. In California, copper and equipment theft is escalating, according to law enforcement.
Thieves target copper wire for resale, leaving farms disrupted and inoperable. Copper’s rising market value (now around $3–5 per pound or over $10,000 per metric ton) has made it a high-return target. Farms located in remote areas often lack connectivity and law enforcement presence, making sensors and real-time alerts critically important.
“Wire, fencing, fuel, and equipment are being targeted more than ever, and it’s costing growers not just money, but their peace of mind,” said Nathan Rosenberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Farmblox. “With this new system, we’re giving growers the ability to know what’s happening on their land at all times and potentially prevent damage to valuable equipment, no matter how far-flung or off-grid their operation may be.”
In addition to the collaboration with law enforcement, leading insurance providers are in discussion with Farmblox to offer premium discounts to customers who install COP-R-LOCK, the ag security system.
Bobby Rader, who has worked in ag theft prevention for more than 15 years, noted: “I have conducted and overseen thousands of criminal investigations regarding ag crime. Fundamentally, farmers and law enforcement lack the tools and innovation to fight back and protect vital equipment and infrastructure. This partnership with Farmblox offers new and innovative tools that will absolutely create positive change for the future of ag security.”
The system operates through Farmblox’s field-proven automation platform, which monitors for environmental and equipment changes, sending instant alerts to farmers in case of theft. It is easily deployed across diverse crop types and terrains, including orchards, vineyards, row crops, maple, and other permanent specialty crops.
The product is currently being piloted with many large acreage growers across the central valley in California, with a broader rollout expected later this year.
About Farmblox
Farmblox gives growers tools to build their own farm automation system, connecting in-field sensors and equipment to a simple app to fix problems and automate tasks. Reliably monitoring remote farmland in all weather conditions, growers can add a custom array of sensors – from soil moisture to theft to valve pressure – to monitor their specific crops and land. With everything visible in a simple app on a smartphone, tablet, or computer, growers can quickly identify operational issues like leaks, weather risks, or equipment failure and automatically trigger fixes to save resources and improve productivity.
