Irrigated Fields Beneath the Eastern Sierra

An irrigated agricultural field along U.S. Highway 395 between Bishop, California, and Big Pine, California, with the eastern Sierra Nevada rising in the background (I think that’s Kid Mountain in the background on the left.). A wheeled sprinkler system waters the green forage crop, while two old concrete silos stand near a ranch in the middle distance, remnants of early 20th-century dairy farms that once dotted the Owens Valley floor. The cylindrical silage towers were used to store compacted grass/fodder for cattle. The scene reflects the Owens Valley’s long agricultural history and the importance of irrigation in this arid region.