LEEDS, Maine — Maine Game Wardens are looking for information about what they call an "atrocious act of vandalism."
Wardens say vandals wiped out nearly half an acre of corn that was apparently ready to be harvested at the Barker Farm in Leeds.
It happened Friday night when they say someone "intentionally drove" into the Barker's cornfield on three different occasions. The damage was not discovered until the following morning.
The path of destruction totaled more than 800 feet long, and 8-14 feet wide.
"It just makes you angry that people don't have any respect for other people's stuff," owner David Barker said. "We put a lot of work into this. It costs about $300 an acre to grow this stuff, and to just mow it down just to have fun, it's very aggravating."
Barker said it has made an already difficult year even worse. The fifth-generation dairy farm is likely many across the state to be hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Barker said they depend of the crop to use as silage and sell for grain. This year they need that more than ever given that milk prices have dropped significantly.
"It's survival. I think all of us are kind of in a business where we're in survival mode," Barker's wife, Vicky, said.
In a post on Facebook, the Maine Game Wardens say, "The Barkers have long supported Maine’s outdoor traditions, and have allowed numerous people to hunt on their land. Let us know if you have information concerning this so we can help the Barkers and hold whoever did this responsible. Thank you."
The Maine Warden Service asks anyone with information to please call them at 1-800-ALERT-US or 207-624-7076.