Opinion ID: 1382654
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: hayfield damage award

Text: At trial, lessee-Wayne Korell testified that there were two hay fields from which there had been production. Three cuttings had been taken from a 26-acre hay field near the farm house, and one cutting had been taken from another 20-acre field. Lessee-Gary Korell testified that both areas were established hay fields. On appeal, the lessors seek to emphasize the cross-examination testimony of Wayne Korell. When asked if he knew why an irrigation ditch was removed on the 20-acre tract, he responded: I would. I know why it was removed. There was no intent of irrigating the field. It makes a better weed patch than it does alfalfa down there, with the near impossibility of irrigating it. The stand is very light in there. There was no intention of harvesting hay off of that. It was never proposed for us to harvest the hay off it.  [Emphasis supplied] Reasoning that the lessees are bound by this testimony, the lessors argue that the parties did not intend that hay from the 20-acre field would be produced and, therefore, the court should not have awarded lessees $115.00 per acre for those 20 acres. While it is apparent that this testimony is damaging to the lessees' position in the fact-finding sense of the word, it is to be also observed that Wayne Korell further testified that he did sign the lease to harvest hay off of the 20-acre field. He presented, thereby, inconsistent indications of his intention with respect to raising alfalfa on the aforesaid 20-acre field. Coupling Wayne Korell's inconsistent statements with the other testimony, indicating that the 20-acre field was an established hay field from which there had been minimal production, we are unable to say as a matter of law that the trial court had insufficient evidence upon which to make this award. When there is evidence to sustain a trial court's finding, this court will not interfere with that finding unless it is clearly erroneous or so totally against the evidence or great weight thereof as to be manifestly wrong. Alexander v. Kadolph, Wyo., 562 P.2d 313, 314 (1977).