The state's agriculture industry isn't just a thriving economic engine, it's also a source of beauty. Photographers across California turned their lenses toward fields and orchards for the California Farm Bureau's 32nd photo contest.
A dramatic image of rice harvest on a Sacramento Valley farm earned the Grand Prize in the 2013 California Farm Bureau Federation photo contest. Shot by sixth-generation Butte County rice farmer Tracy Schohr, the photo shows three rice harvesters moving toward the camera, silhouetted against an orange sunset.
Schohr said she intended her photo to show “man and big machines working in harmony” as well as “a family hard at work, overcoming the challenges of farming.” The image earned top honors among nearly 200 submitted to the annual contest from Farm Bureau members throughout California.
Photographers also earned first and second place awards in five categories.
Napa County Farm Bureau member Harry Matthiasson was a double winner in the contest, earning first place in the Kids and Critters on the Farm category, for a photo of a boy petting a pig at a farm near Matthiasson’s Healdsburg home. The 16-year-old Matthiasson also took second place in the Fresh and Local category, for a photo of tomatoes on the vine.
Yolo County Farm Bureau member Lori Baylor captured first place in the Fresh and Local category, for a colorful image of produce displayed on the back of a wagon at a Capay Valley farm.
Second place in the Kids and Critters on the Farm category went to Glenn County Farm Bureau member Marianne Couto, who photographed her 2-year-old son Lane walking through a wheat field.
In the All in a Day’s Work on the Farm category, first place went to Shasta County Farm Bureau member Crystal Amen, for a photo of a cowboy moving cattle at the Shasta Livestock Auction Yard. Butte County Farm Bureau member Angelina Cinquini earned second place for a close-up photo of her grandmother’s hands as she sorted almonds.
Placer County Farm Bureau member Janet Johnson won first place in the Rural Scenic category, for an image of wild horses racing across a desert landscape. Santa Clara County Farm Bureau member Arleah Fields took second place for a photo of golden California poppies on the family’s ranch.
In the Budding Artists category—for photographers aged 13 and younger—Plumas-Sierra County Farm Bureau member Kristin Roberti, 10, won first place for an image of her pet rooster preparing to fly off of a fencepost. Twelve-year-old Turlocker Mary Grace Nascimento earned second place for a close-up image of almonds in her family’s orchard.
The Grand Prize winner earned a $500 prize. First-place winners in the individual categories each earned $250, with second-place winners each earning $100. Winning images are also published in the CFBF publications Ag Alert and California Bountiful, on the publications’ websites and on the CFBF site atwww.cfbf.com.
The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of nearly 78,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members.
