SHELDON, Iowa (AP) -- Investigators are searching for several hundred pigs and hogs that were stolen from a northwest Iowa farm last weekend.

KMEG reports (http://bit.ly/STvz8J ) the animals that were taken from the Dekker family's farm last Saturday night were worth more than $38,000.

The Dekkers say 220 feeder pigs and 195 fat hogs went missing.

Tina Dekker says she and her husband have no idea who took the animals, but they are installing an alarm system on their hog barn to prevent future thefts.

Investigators say the burglars broke into the back of the hog barn and loaded the pigs onto a semitrailer truck.

Dekker says it's common for many hog farmers to load animals at night, so a neighbor may not have noticed the theft.

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Information from: KMEG-TV, http://www.kmeg.com

Copyright 2012 The AP.