"Life's Cycle"
Independence means
something different for everyone. For the Fagan family independence means
self-sufficiency. It means earning what you work for, living off of what you
grow, and practicing your values. What started out as a homestead in
southeast Ohio over twenty years ago grew into a family farm of ten.
According to the Ohio State University Extension Office in the College of
Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, family farms are declining
nationwide despite a growth in small-scale proprietorship farms. These images
represent this family's pursuit of independence. Catie, 13, Martha, 9, and
Grace 11, watch their mother Linda clean intestines while their father Ken
and brothers Travis and Tim shave the fur off of a pig behind them. The
family butchered three pigs in the late fall which, along with other meats
and their fall harvest, would provide for the family throughout the winter
months.
