Picture-perfect photos tell stories of California agriculture

» January 8, 2007 «

A gentle farm kid and a patient piglet provided the moment, an observant photographer captured it and the resulting image earned the Grand Prize in the California Farm Bureau Federation photo contest. Photographs selected as contest winners show the care that farmers and ranchers take each day for their families, their land and their animals.

Grand Prize photo by Amy Valente See other winning photos

San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation member Amy Valente said she was visiting a friend's farm in Lodi when her friend's son, 3-year-old Clayton Neblett, guided them on an energetic farm tour. Clayton sat still long enough to pet the piglet, and Valente was ready with her camera.

Her photo won the 2006 Grand Prize from among more than 350 entries, a record number for the annual Farm Bureau contest. Judges considered photos in each of six categories: All in a Day's Work, Caring for the Land, Family on the Farm, From Farm to Fork, Kids and Critters, and Natural Beauty.

As Grand Prize winner, Valente earned a $1,000 award and her photo appeared on the cover of two Farm Bureau publications, Ag Alert® and California Country® magazine.

"Our photo contest really gives us a chance to show our urban readers in particular the diversity of California's rural landscape and lifestyle. We always think the pictures tell a great story of stewardship, family life and spirit that is unique, and the positive responses we get about the photographs are always gratifying," said Ann Schmidt-Fogarty, publisher of Ag Alert and California Country.

Valente also earned second prize in the Caring for the Land category, for a photo showing Grass Valley rancher Mike Blagg and his dog in a meadow. First prize in the category went to Marin County rancher Martin Pozzi, who photographed an owl after it emerged from its burrow on his land. Pozzi said the burrowing owls play an important role controlling rodents and insects on his ranch.

Another double-winner in the contest, Placer County Farm Bureau member Janet Turner, earned first place in two categories. Her photo of her 4-year-old son, Layton Johnson, cuddling his two farm dogs earned first prize in the Kids and Critters category. Turner's dramatic image of a wood-and-barbed-wire fence under a dark, cloudy sky in the Sierra Valley captured first place in the Natural Beauty category.

The youngest winner in the contest, 10-year-old Denee Tacherra of Riverdale, earned second prize in the Kids and Critters category for a photo showing her baby sister, Layla, caring for the dairy cows on her family's farm. Second prize in the Natural Beauty category went to a view of sheep among the landscape of Hog Island in Tomales Bay, photographed by San Diego County Farm Bureau member Laura Hillebrecht Kapusnik.

In the Family on the Farm category, Joseph Captain earned first prize for a photo of his mother, Susan, harvesting grapes in the family's Contra Costa County vineyard. Misty Tartaglia of San Luis Obispo County won second prize for a photo of her 2-year-old daughter, Reese, watching her father and ranch hands bring in the cattle on their ranch.

San Benito County Farm Bureau member Carol Renz captured first place in the All in a Day's Work category. She photographed from the top of a hill as her son and nephew gathered hay on the family farm. Linda Spencer of Arroyo Grande won second prize for an image of her granddaughter gathering a handful of hay to feed to the family's cattle.

A photo of ranch hand Emiliano Huechapan showing off a 30-pound watermelon earned first prize in the From Farm to Fork category for photographer David Gibb, a Yuba-Sutter County Farm Bureau member. Huechapan grows the watermelons and other fresh produce in a garden at Gibb's Marysville cattle ranch. Yolo County Farm Bureau member Janet Alonso earned second place for a close-up image showing the texture of a Cinderella-variety pumpkin.

Winners in each category earned awards of $500, and second prizes earned $250. Along with their publication in Ag Alert and California Country, the prize-winning photos are displayed on the California Farm Bureau Web site, www.cfbf.com.

The California Farm Bureau Federation, the state's largest farm organization, works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 92,000 members.

Contact: Dave Kranz
Phone: 916/561-5550
news@cfbf.com

Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the California Farm Bureau Federation when reprinting this item.