A truck-photo trend in southern Utah is drawing backlash after a farmer said social media posts encouraged people to drive into his oat field for content, leaving part of the crop "entirely ruined."
Todd Brown, who manages a farm in Hurricane, said the damage began after a weekend diesel truck event and a social media creator posted a video of his vehicle in Brown's field, according to KSL.
@doubletake6.7 We outside
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"They went and did a bunch of TikToks in the construction site and then they went out in my field," Brown said. "Apparently, you can tag the location, and all of his followers saw that location and started coming out every night at the golden hours, so they had the light just right for their pictures. It just kept happening, and I didn't know what to do."
Brown said he first realized the situation after his nephew sent him screenshots from TikTok.
At first, he hoped the activity would stop, but as more trucks arrived, he began calling the police, and citations were eventually issued.
One truck owner later posted online, saying he believed the area was simply "a big grass field" and thought it would "look sick" with his vehicle in it. He said he drove "10 to 15 feet" into the field to take photos, calling it an "honest mistake," and added that he did not think the crop could be harvested.
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Brown strongly disputed that account. He told KSL that the field is fenced on three sides and that drivers accessed it through a nearby construction area before entering the field.
He also noted that the original post included the hashtag "#farmersgonnahate," which he viewed as dismissive of the potential damage.
The consequences are severe. Brown explained that oat plants have hollow stems, meaning that once they are bent or crushed by heavy vehicles, they die and cannot recover.
"Everywhere they drove their trucks, mashing down the crop, is all crop loss," Brown said, per KSL. "It's all dead and won't come back. I can't harvest that."
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Beyond losing the income those yields would have generated, it also represents wasted resources invested in growing the oat plants in the first place, including water, fuel, seed, fertilizer, and labor.
Brown posted his own video on Facebook to warn the community and ask for help stopping further trespassing.
He said he hopes the incident sends a simple message: Don't trespass, and don't assume a field is empty just because it looks good on camera.
"I want people to be aware that actions have consequences — and don't touch stuff that isn't yours," Brown said, per KSL.
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