Antique Madera farm equipment stolen

A $5,000 reward is offered for the recovery of a collection of century-old farm equipment stolen from a home in northwest Fresno.

Gerald Schmavonian says the antique equipment, made of copper and brass, was used to spray sulfur in a Madera County vineyard that his family has owned for about a century. It was taken from the garage of a home near Prospect and Sierra avenues last week. Schmavonian said he was preparing to loan the French-made equipment to a museum in France for display when it was taken before he could ship it overseas.

The equipment, made by the Vermorel factory, has cast iron wheels and is very heavy, Schmavonian said. He estimated that it would take at least five people to remove it from the garage. Schmavonian said his grandfather used the equipment to spray sulfur on the vineyards at the Sherian Ranch along the San Joaquin River near Highway 99.

The sprayers were on display last year at the Madera County Museum and at a museum in Clovis the year before, he said.

Schmavonian said anyone with information leading to the recovery would be eligible for the reward by calling Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-STOP.

This story was originally published September 17, 2015 at 12:04 PM with the headline "Antique Madera farm equipment stolen."