In a video going viral on Twitter (currently topping 1 million views), farmers are seen putting a Chevrolet Silverado in gear and letting it drive into a breech that was created by the maxed-out Tulare Lake. The pickup truck, its bed packed with dirt, comes to rest next to a Ford F-series truck that was also loaded down and driven into the gap.
In a pinch, it becomes an innovative way to stop the flow of water and mitigate the damage to the fields and the community. For these famers, the sacrifice of those pickups was clearly worth the value of protecting the surrounding land.
You can watch the video here:
I have never seen this type of #flood control measure before! Here is how some farmers deal with a breach in the Tulare Lake bottom. I assume they will pile some additional dirt on. #cawater #cawx #farm #agriculture pic.twitter.com/QXP720RqjJ
— Cannon Michael (@agleader) March 14, 2023
The video was posted to the @agleader Twitter account, which is run by Cannon Michael, a sixth-generation farmer in California’s Central Valley who is CEO of Bowles Farming Company. Michael said, “Here is how some farmers deal with a breach in the Tulare Lake bottom.”
Flooding is crippling much of California, leaving hundreds of thousands without power. Heavy winds are further exacerbating the problems for residents.
Michael followed up his original post by showing what the breech looked like before the farmers intervened, as well as what it looked like after their work was completed.
For all of those haters and doubters – here is what it looks like now – trees protected as well as community nearby. #cawater #flood #cawx #desperatemeasures #agriculture pic.twitter.com/177rcdww7q
— Cannon Michael (@agleader) March 14, 2023
Many farmers in that part of the country are certainly in crisis situations amid the flooding, and we hope that they don’t all have to resort to such measures.
