There is tremendous emotion in a family farm, hard to capture it in words, perhaps easier with images. I have been using black and white to reflect the drama I feel at the Rouse farm, but this shot, taken in natural light and sweltering heat, seemed to capture it well, as the Rouse family works hard to keep the farm that has been in their family for five generations going.

You get the feeling that individuals like Ed Rouse and his family are struggling to fit into the new, big, Wal-Mart corporate mode that seems to be the only model big and powerful enough to gain a foothold in much of America. It is hard to see how the notion of rugged individualism, so long a part of American history and the life also of creative people, can survive in a world with so many complex elements – connectivity, technology, mindless regulation, and bureaucratic disconnection.

Ed Rouse seems to feel that small farms can make it if they run lean, stay out of debt, and manage themselves well. I hope he’s right. The statistics on small family farms suggest that this rich part of American culture and history is fading away. Being in the Rouse  barn – this was also evident in John Clark’s barn – is humbling, and teaches me a lot about family, character, work ethos and the American character.