Man builds fence made of old cars

Hooper farmer builds car fence in jest, protest

HOOPER -- With a backhoe, three old cars and a little ingenuity, local farmer Rhett Davis erected a makeshift fence in his backyard as a message to those moving into the recently developed subdivision behind his home that the farming community was here first.

"This is just a fun way for me to say, 'Hey boys, I'm still here,' so I started building a fence out of cars," he said. "This is my redneck Stonehenge."

The idea came to Davis after neighbors who recently moved into homes next to his hayfield started complaining about the farm.

"The people who bought the homes say, 'Well, we love looking into your yard and seeing the horses and the cattle, but we don't like the flies, and we don't like the mosquitoes,' and when I cut my field to bale it, they say, 'We don't like the dust in the air,' " Davis said.

After hearing the complaints, Davis offered to pay half of the cost of a fence between the two properties and even offered to build it, but his neighbors told him they didn't want it blocking their view.

The neighbors declined to speak with the Standard-Examiner for this article.

After that exchange with the neighbors, Davis used his backhoe to dig three large holes on the border of his property, then took three cars that had competed in demolition derbies and slammed them nose-first into the earth.

Though Davis said planting his new decorations was done more out of good humor than spite, he feels it's important for all the new families who are moving out into the country to realize that Hooper remains a farming community.

Hundreds of homes are popping up in the rural fields, bringing with them city folks who desire a quiet country atmosphere but don't want to deal with the smells and noises of farm life, Davis said.

Many Hooper families have owned their farms for generations.

Davis said he can remember when his grandfather owned numerous acres of hayfields, including the area where the new subdivision sits.

"I respect that they're here and spent a lot on their homes, but on the other hand, give me a little bit, too. I've been here since I was 7 years old," he said.

Davis said his neighbors aren't the only people to build nice homes alongside farms and end up being less than thrilled with their neighbors.

"A lot of people moving from areas like Taylor into Hooper have been complaining about the farms. A lot of them have formed petitions to try and get the farmers to get rid of their tractors or to not cut their hay at 9 at night, when that's the coolest time to do it," he said.

These extreme measures have not been aimed at Davis, which he credits to his part-time farming and flexible personality.

"I've talked to my neighbors and worked things out. I really just thought this would be a funny thing to do," he said of his Redneck Stonehenge.

But for other farmers who've spent their whole lives doing nothing but working their fields, this transition is a little harder.

"Although other farmers haven't gone to this extent, some of the farmers who are older than me and have been doing this for a long time are pretty upset," Davis said.

The three vehicles he planted are just temporary, and he'll remove them when he gets the itch.

"These can come out just as easy as they went in."

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