Pocahontas, AR

Pocahontas was hit by historical flooding this spring as the Black River reached never-before-seen levels and blowing through the levee protecting thousands of acres of farmland. I’m the co-operator of Weitkamp Farms, which stood in the direct path of the breached levee. If it weren’t for the help from my friends and neighbors, this farm would have suffered great loss.

When we realized that the levee wasn’t going to hold, we were faced with the harrowing reality that the 56,000 bushels of rice, corn, and soybeans left in our grain bins would be lost . We started trucking it out early the next morning at 7 a.m. If we had no help, the chances of clearing it out before the levee breached were slim. However, our prayers were answered when friends and neighbors started pouring in to help. After 28 hours of straight work, we moved all 56,000 bushels of grain out. We finished by noon the next day and the levee breached later that afternoon. Hundreds of acres of planted cropland were flooded but at least our binned grain was saved!