Seconded By: Vladimir Karamazov,
For thousands of years, humanity has benefited from 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 offers a timeless visual record that dignifies those caught in this disappearing middle, and elevates those charting pathways out of it.
Zoey's Dream
Zoey Allen plays with a hoverboard she received for her eleventh birthday in Bardstown, Kentucky. As a horse lover and avid barrel racer, Zoey dreams of one day working with horses on a farm of her own. But like many small and midsize farms in America, the Allen family has reported declining revenue for years. Despite efforts to diversify, many would-be farming children like Zoey find themselves caught in the “disappearing middle” of American agriculture, burdened by land and legacy.
The Day Ahead
Jackie “Jackrabbit” Allen (left) and his granddaughter, Zoey, prepare for a day of work on the family farm. In 1965, Zoey’s great- grandfather entered into a lease agreement for 260 acres of farmland in the gently rolling Loretto Hills of central Kentucky. Sixty years later, the Allen family continues that tradition, raising corn, soybean and hay on 160 acres of the plot nestled between Beech Fork and the community of Cedar Creek. The remaining 100 acres are subleased for additional income.
Laboring Alone
Jackie “Jackrabbit” Allen, 63, prepares hay for harvest in the lower fields. Despite a back injury from a logging accident that nearly left him paralyzed, Jackrabbit is the only adult on the Allen farm capable of hard labor. During harvests, he sometimes receives help from a neighboring farmer, but typically works alone. “You’re not guaranteed nothing when you farm. And when one person’s gotta do as much as I’ve gotta do, there just ain’t enough hours in the day to do it all,” Allen said. “Nowadays, they’ve got great big equipment. But I ain’t got no help.”
Belle's Promise
Zoey Allen (center) talks to her favorite horse, Belle, while her grandfather gathers tack and makes preparations for day. Zoey contributes to the family in a practical way by helping her grandfather break and train horses to offset declining farm revenue, and as a natural rider, Zoey takes pride in the relationship she builds with each animal. One day hopes to train horses on her own.
Side Hustle
Jackie “Jackrabbit” Allen (left) prepares horses for traveling as his granddaughter watches and learns. “Training horses, now I do make some money doing that,” Allen said. “They want ’em trained so they can take ’em to sales and get big money out of ’em. Whether it be reining, barrel racing, roping, team penning or whatever, I get all the rough edges off of ’em. And at $800 a month, you put three months into something like that, you can make a little bit of money. If they want to spend it, I will do my very best to make it. God blessed me. Horses trust me. It’s rough sometimes, but it just takes time.”
A Natural Gift
Zoey Allen, 10, rides bareback through the family farm on her favorite horse, Belle. “I never dreamed she would turn out as good as she is,” said her grandfather, Jackie “Jackrabbit” Allen. “She’s just got a natural gift – something you don’t make but that you’re born with. God had to give it to her.”
Weathered
Zoey Allen (left) and her grandfather, Jackie “Jackrabbit” Allen, stand outside the shed where Jackie repairs decades-old tractors and miscellaneous farm equipment. As one of the family’s many side hustles, mechanic work supplements declining farm revenue. From dairy farmer and logger to horse trainer and professional fisherman, Jackie’s role has evolved over the years to meet his family’s need. “I wanna keep the farm. And I do my best to keep it,” Allen said. “But you gotta take from this part of your business to pay for that part of your business, just to keep it going. So that’s what I’m doing. And I’ll do it as long as I’m able to do it.”
Rock Fishing
Zoey Allen, 10, leans on her grandfather as he oversees her cousins in the Beech Fork River behind the family. Born with cocaine in her blood, Zoey was taken in by Jackie and his wife after Zoe’s father was put in jail. “She was either gonna go to the orphanage or something else,” Jackie Allen said. “My son asked us to take her, so we took her. And I’ve had her ever since.” Rock fishing for catfish, also known as noodling, is a summer tradition for the Allen family, and one they often rely upon to put food on the table.
Jackrabbit
Jackie “Jackrabbit” Allen, 63, hangs up his cap and calls it a day after swimming with his grandchildren in the Beech Fork River behind the family farm. “You know, the Bible talks about gambling,” Allen said. “But if you look at real life, farming is one of the biggest gambles you can do. The government is taking care of these big farmers, but smaller operations can’t make it. There just ain’t no money in it.”
Dinner Reqeust
Zoey Allen, 11, asks her grandmother about dinner through the window of their mobile home while cooling off her favorite horse, Belle. “I guess she’s just done it so much, it’s like she’s part of ’em or something,” Zoey’s grandfather said, describing Zoey’s natural gifting with horses. “That horse has gotta like you and trust you. It’s gotta bond with you. And once you get that, you can teach that horse to do just about anything.”