Because they can thrive and flourish in dry weather, farmers in North Texas are planting sunflower crops where others won’t take root. And often, the product is so appealing to the eye that lines of cars can be seen in places like Hill County, where sunflower farmer Rodney Schronk’s fields are sometimes hard for him to access as a result.
Their beauty and the bright contrast of the flower against the gorgeous blue sky over Texas can sometimes cause crowds of rubberneckers to stop along I-35W close to Hillsboro in order to take pictures and even walk through the fields, trying to get a closer look at the tall stocks of yellow flowers. Although the fields are a source of pride for Schronk, who was featured on the Texas Farm Bureau’s YouTube Channel in the following video, it can also be a little disconcerting when some individuals help themselves to flowers as souvenirs. In a 2013 interview with The Columbus Dispatch, he noted, “They don’t realize that’s our livelihood.” He added, however, “It’s encouraging to see people get out and see the flowers, touch them and see where their food comes from.”
