Photo finish

2011 Winners Grand Prize Kids & Critters on the Farm Grown in California All in a Day's Work on the Farm Rural Scenic Budding Artists Past Winners 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998

30th annual contest rewards talent, creativity and a little luck
Hard work, rural beauty and family traditions are all captured in the annual California Farm Bureau photo contest. Participants competed in five categories: Grown in California, Rural Scenic, All in a Day’s Work on the Farm, Kids and Critters on the Farm, and Budding Artists, for children 13 and younger. We hope you enjoy their winning photos. And keep your cameras handy: The 2012 contest opens June 1.

Grand Prize Winner

Charlie Olson, Santa Clara County Farm Bureau member

Charlie Olson, whose family has farmed in the Bay Area since 1899, takes pictures to chronicle the growing season. This image also pays tribute to friend and neighbor Ralph Appio, shown on a tractor amid waist-high mustard grass in an apricot orchard. “He’s 80 years old now and probably as good a tractor driver as any in the valley,” said Olson, 76, adding that mustard is often used as a cover crop in orchards and vineyards to help control weeds and pests and keep the soil healthy and navigable.