Val Mather's ongoing project is an affectionate portrait of the daily lives of Yorkshire farming families and their livestock. Born & Bred Farming Life captures the spirit, humour and stoicism of Mather’s local farming community. Some are first-generation farmers, whilst others are from families that have farmed the same land for three or four generations.
The project was the basis for her successful Associateship panel last year and has recently been featured in Country Life magazine. A book of the project is available to order now from her website.
The stories photographed in this book cover many elements of the life-cycle of farming, including the challenges of rearing young livestock, passing on skills to the younger generation, the excitement and anxiety of the auction house, as well as the delights of competing at agricultural shows. It also captures the technological advances that have come into farming as well as some time-honoured traditions that remain unchanged. Farming is hard work but the passion for this way of life is still there on the faces of the people in this book.