The best people I know are those who are involved in the agriculture industry.
I take all kinds of pictures of a lot of different things, but I can honestly say that my favorite photos aren’t the one with the best lighting or with the fanciest lens. My favorite photos are of ones just like this one of Henry and Brian. Henry is my best friend, Jenna Preston’s, grandfather and Brian is her dad. They just recently made the difficult decision to sell the family farms herd of Jersey cows that Henry and the family has milked with for his entire career. This was the Sunday before the cows were to sell and there was an evident heaviness that existed around the barnyard.
Just before this photo was taken, I asked him how he(Henry) felt about closing this chapter. With a soft smile he simply replied, “It’s time.” He continued to assure me that he loved milking cows but had just reached the age where he needed to retire. He said that he was proud of all the work he and his family had put in over all the years and that he was grateful for all the memories made.
While I felt my heart sink, Henry chuckled and said, “I’m going to travel. Maybe go to the Black Hills because I’ve milked all my life.” After a lifetime for caring for livestock and rising much before the sun that it was his turn to spend some time outside of the milking parlor.
To me this photo represents so accurately the industry I was fortunate to have grown up in. The physical and mental stress that so many individuals choose to go through because they are so passionate about caring for other living creatures and providing food to put on the table. Like Henry, this industry is accustomed to dealing with making hard decisions and finding glimpses of hope in every situation.
Resilient, unwavering, sturdy, tough but so kind – the people that make up our industry are the best of the best. I am so grateful to get to capture memories but much more so, I am so grateful to know so many people just like Henry.
