The Nixon administration is gearing up to attack farm theft in Missouri.

Thursday, the governor announced an expansion of a Cattle Theft Task Force to work on crimes involving farm equipment as well as livestock.

In March, Moniteau County cattle farmer Troy White had awakened one day to find 14 beef cattle missing from his herd.

"Kind of a sickening feeling,” Troy said. “Lost quite of bit of money at that time.” About $14,000.

"It was extremely important that we increase the penalties for cattle theft,” Missouri Cattlemen's Association Jeff Windett said.

Lawmakers this year bumped cattle rustling from a class "C" to a class "B" felony, adding years in prison time. It was among the recommendations of a Cattle Theft Task Force created three years ago by former Gov. Matt Blunt.

"We had a cattle theft task force and it was working,” Missouri Agriculture Director Jon Hagler said. “We were making progress. But the problem was bigger.”

Indeed, thieves are after more than just livestock. In Maries County two years ago, Chuck Hodapp lost hundreds of thousand of dollars in farm equipment: a pick-up, three tractors, a riding lawn mower, an ATV, farm tools, even a digital camera.

"We spent our whole Easter looking for our stuff,” Hodapp said. “There's no holidays here. We all know that we're done if we don't come up with an answer.”

So Nixon has retooled the cattle theft task force to focus on everything from livestock trailers to farm chemicals.

"The Missouri State Highway Patrol, as well as sheriffs' offices and local law enforcement agencies around the state are investigating crimes like these each and every week,” Nixon said.

Hagler said the cattle theft task force still technically exists, but some of its members have dropped out, and it hasn't met since last year.