Rising to the 5 a.m. wake-up call to follow students as they fed livestock, released sheep into grazing pastures, moved cows and pigs from pen to pen, and drove tractors amid harvest, University Photographer Jason Halley captured a series of photographs to show the daily effort that students, deemed essential workers, take to maintain the University Farm operations during the unusual COVID-19 pandemic. For the students, it was just another day of hands-on learning, but for the story, it inspired hope and perseverance in an otherwise difficult time.
From the Judges
We loved everything about this submission. The colors, the subject, the variety in composition and movement in the different photos. We really felt like we were on the farm and could feel the sweat—and the heart—of the subjects. We also loved that the feature resulted in donations for the farm. Compelling!
