For centuries, humanity has benefitted from a generational intimacy with the land. But as farms and ranches continue to consolidate across America, traditional midsize farms – once the majority – are nearing extinction, and those who remain find themselves on the precipice of an ever-widening chasm into which more than four million farming families have vanished since 1948. Dubbed the hollowing out of agriculture, this global phenomenon of a “disappearing middle” is actively shaping the rural communities of our time. And for the thousands of children growing up in this context, the journey of self-discovery has become increasingly complicated. The Last Generation is a coming-of-age story for these would-be farmers, chronicling their quest for identity as they choose to adapt or abandon a generational legacy around agriculture. By elevating the points of view of young people and their elders, the work illustrates the vital role traditional midsize farms and ranches have played in the preservation of culture over time, and asks ‘what is lost?’ when the forces shaping modern agriculture continue unabated. As a majority of the world’s producers are gradually pushed to the margins, and our collective connection to the land thins, The Last Generation paints a dignified portrait of today’s at-risk producers as they creatively adapt to keep land and legacy intact.

Archival pigment prints; 13x19 inches
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