John Verell, III, Jackson, Tenn., checks wheat prospects late last spring.Ron Smith
The most interesting part of my job is and has always been meeting farmers and their farm families. Over the years, I have conducted interviews around many kitchen tables, under the shade of a few oak trees, and bouncing around in pickup trucks. I've taken a few notes sitting in the cabs of combines and cotton pickers. It's always an adventure.
Some farm visits take an hour or less; others take the day; some occur during precious moments at the turnrow when a farmer dismounts long enough to answer a few questions and stand for a photo before crawling back on whatever piece of equipment I took him away from.
Sometimes weather is so bad I shoot photos inside, during a quick take in frigid temperatures or with pouring rain as a backdrop. I've dripped sweat on the camera lens, turned my back to dust stirred up by the combine and waited until the last possible second before moving out of the way of a cotton picker. Did I mention adventure?
Regardless of the weather, the season or the limitations of time, I always leave with a notebook full of facts and a feeling that I just made a new friend.
This year was no exception. Here are some of the people who made time for my intrusions in 2019.
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