Biography:
Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lucian Perkins is an independent photographer and filmmaker based in Washington, D.C. Lucian’s focus on documenting human-interest stories encompasses daily life and social issues...
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Fayetteville, Arkansas
Ellie under an Osage orange tree. “She’s such a good mama,” Mariah White says of the sow. “She loves belly rubs.” Mariah seeks Animal Welfare Approved slaughterhouses to process her pork. “Eating meat is a real gift, and it’s good to be as conscious as possible. I don’t take it that lightly. When we go to the butcher, I cry. When we load up our pigs on the trailer, I cry.”
Madison County, Arkansas
Fields on top of Pinnacle Mountain, where the author’s family once grew tomato and sweet potato crops, now produce grass for horses.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas is suffering a two-year-old drought; with little chance of rain, Mariah and Ira White’s clothes dry outside. The couple’s small farm supplements his income from carpentry work, and helps feed their family.
Madison County, Arkansas
Goats can still be found walking on a dirt road in deeply rural Madison County. Local deputy sheriff Captain Robert Boyd admits he fields calls about goats and chickens trespassing in neighbors’ yards.
Madison County, Arkansas
Neighbors of the Whites say their place was once farmed with mules. The Whites built most structures on the property since they bought it two years ago, but kept this shed, previously a kennel for hunting hounds. Inside, Ira milks a cow as a cat plays on the gate.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
As the sun sets, the Whites free-range chickens enjoy dinner. The Whites can’t keep up with demand for their free-range chickens. The farm is a little over breaking even. “I came from a back-to-the-land family,” Ira says, and while several friends who share his background left for cities, many have returned home, “wanting to have that connection to the land, to nature.”