The hardships of the American farmer: Stunning photo series captures the struggle of family-run farms as they battle the big corporations and Mother Nature
Stunning portraits by photographer Elliot Ross in his series The Reckoning days, show how a lush field can become barren overnight
Ross, who is based New York, stayed with farmer Jim Mertens and his family in order to document their daily lives
Ross says he hopes that the photos will inspire Americans will work to solve the problems of farmers and other working class citizens
By ALEXANDRA KLAUSNER
DAILYMAIL.COM
16 January 2016
The modern American farmer is faced with many dilemmas – one of which is poverty due to an ever changing industry and fluctuating weather.
Stunning portraits by photographer Elliot Ross in his series The Reckoning days, show how a lush field can become barren overnight.
Ross, who is based New York, stayed with farmer Jim Mertens and his family in order to document their daily lives.
Ross, is not a documentarian, rather he is using the images to create a poem that touches on biblical themes, according to Feature Shoot.
Ross said that he hopes his photographs will bring to light the struggles that farmers endure such as the rising price of cars and other mechanical gear.
Feature Shoot report that the price of wheat is only slightly lower than when Mertens was farming in the 1970s.
Reaping each year’s harvest can costs millions of dollars and can be lost easily if the weather proves poor for growth.
Ross, whose photos evoke some taken of farmers during the 1930s and 1940s during The Great Depression, says he hopes that the photos will inspire Americans will work to solve the problems of farmers and other working class citizens.
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