An Iowa farmer says someone has stolen about $18,000 worth of soybeans from 18 acres on his farm in Illinois.

According to reports, Matt Schuster of La Motte, Iowa, says he is missing more than 1,600 bushels after someone took the crops in East Dubuque. He says he noticed the theft when he checked on the land over the weekend.

The Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

Neighbors say they saw the crop being harvested but they thought Schuster had hired someone to combine the field.

Schuster says his crop insurance will cover the loss but he has to produce about 1,600 bushels of soybeans by Nov. 1 to meet a contract.

He says he hopes the incident turns out to be "just a big mistake."