ELLIS COUNTY -- Half of what Lee Calvert makes on any given year sprouts from this Ellis County farm field.
"Agriculture was what built Waxahachie," said Calvert.
There's a lot riding on these ears of corn. "A lot of us are just out here right now just trying to tread water," Calvert said. That might explain why Calvert was so upset when he caught two people red-handed picking corn.
"No, you weren't embarrassed when you started pulling corn out of the field were you?" Calvert is heard saying on tape.
Calvert started rolling on his phone, posting the video live to Facebook where he clearly struck a chord. To date, more than 61,000 people have tuned into his tirade.
"I was like, 'Wow that's more than the population of my town,'" Calvert said.
He admits his anger wasn't really aimed at the thieves. "I'm actually not proud of what I said because I normally don't speak that way," he said.
The last few years have been hard on the corn crop, combine that with drought conditions and you have a recipe for an angry farmer.
"Don't say sorry to me, say sorry to the sheriff when he gets here," he says on the video.
Yes, he called the cops -- Ellis County Sheriff Chuck Edge.
"Well, we don't know if it's the end of it, but at this particular time no charges are going to be filed on these two, but we need to get the word out that it's a crime. There's more than one crime that can be charged in this particular case," Edge said.
Calvert could have pressed charges for trespassing and theft but he didn't. He even let these two go home with the corn they picked. He just wishes they would have asked first.
"There's not a farmer I know, my grandfather and my father I grew up farming with them I've never seen them turn anyone away that stopped and said, 'Can I pick some sweet corn?'"
He hopes this video reminds the public that the American farmer is still alive and still working hard for your food.