National Ag Day 2026

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Happy National Ag Day tomorrow!

National Ag Day traces its roots to 1973, when the Agriculture Council of America — a nonprofit coalition of leaders across the agriculture, food, and fiber industries — launched the observance with a simple mission: close the gap between the people who grow America’s food and the people who eat it. Most Americans had little understanding of where their food, clothing, and fuel actually came from, and the ACA aimed to change that. The program has run for more than four decades, growing into a full National Ag Week each March, with events anchored in Washington, D.C. The 2026 theme — “Together We Grow” — also marks 250 years of agricultural progress in the United States. The scale of that progress tells its own story: today, each American farmer feeds more than 165 people, compared to just 25 in the 1960s.

I figure this is a great occasion to post a few rural/pastoral images.

I captured this image of this wheel line on winter break on a moody morning on my way to Reno just a few weeks ago. That wonderful lenticular cloud said I had to stop and grab a shot….

Single irrigation wheel line in snow-covered Honey Lake Valley hay field with lenticular cloud and storm sky, Lassen County, California

I’m very enamored with this windmill just south of Madeline in northern Lassen County and it was looking wonderful on this spring afternoon…

A classic rural landscape from northern Lassen County, California, featuring a tall Aermotor windmill rising above a sunlit spring field blanketed with wildflowers. Puffy cumulus clouds drift across a deep blue sky, their soft shadows adding depth and dimension to the scene. The weathered windmill, still in service pumping water for cattle, stands as a proud symbol of western ranch life along US-395. Captured near midday, the softened sunlight and dramatic cloud formations balance the bright yellow and green tones of the blossoms below, creating a timeless portrait of rural California in full spring bloom.

I spotted this heifer taking a break from her herd mates on a frosty foggy morning in the Willow Creek Valley north of Susanville…

A quiet winter morning scene near Susanville in Lassen County, California, showing a lone cow standing beside a frozen wash in a fog-covered pasture. The soft light and muted tones of the January fog create a gentle, painterly atmosphere as the warm hues of dormant brush contrast with the pale ice and snow. The solitary cow, momentarily separated from her herd, adds a touch of quiet curiosity and introspection to the rural landscape. This peaceful image captures the stillness and subtle beauty of cold mornings on the northern California ranchlands.

A beautiful morning on a ranch near Honey Lake here in Lassen County…

Warm, glowing sunrise photograph taken on a frosty November morning at a ranch in Lassen County, Northern California. The scene features rustic wooden fence posts and frost-kissed dry grass in the foreground, leading the viewer’s eye toward a radiant horizon painted in gold, orange, and magenta tones. The cold air and 14°F temperature lend crisp clarity to the light, enhancing the textures of the weathered wood and the subtle shimmer of frost. This fine art landscape captures the quiet beauty of rural California at daybreak, where the warmth of dawn contrasts against the chill of an early winter morning.

I drove by this Artois California almond orchard in full bloom just after I had a full spectrum modification done to an old camera. I felt compelled to grab an infrared photo of it using my 590 nanometer filter….

Infrared photograph of almond trees in full bloom lining a country orchard road beneath a dramatic, cloud-filled spring sky. Captured with a 720nm infrared filter on a full spectrum converted camera, the scene features luminous white foliage against soft blue tones, creating a dreamlike, high-contrast composition. The symmetrical rows of trees draw the viewer’s eye toward the horizon, emphasizing depth, balance, and the ethereal quality of near-infrared light. Ideal for infrared photography keywords, spring orchard landscapes, and fine art nature imagery.

In January of this year after leaving the Sacramento National Wildlife refuge, the sky looked like it would color up nicely so my wife and I took a Glenn County side road looking for a sunset composition. I thought this lone tree adjacent to a rice field fit the bill. The little “Easter egg” raptor, probably a red-tailed hawk, nesting in it was a nice little bonus…

Bare winter tree silhouetted against a vivid orange and gold sunset sky over Colusa County farmland, California

I dedicate this post the all the hard working men and women who put in long hard work days to keep this great nation fed!

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