The Fagans

Yoon Byun

Ohio University

Life's Cycle - Independence means something different for everyone. For the Fagan family independence means self-sufficiency. It means earning what you work for, living off of what you grow, and practicing your values. What started out as a homestead in southeast Ohio over twenty years ago grew into a family farm of ten. According to the Ohio State University Extension Office in the College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, family farms are declining nationwide despite a growth in small-scale proprietorship farms. These images represent this family's pursuit of independence. Catie, 13, Martha, 9, and Grace 11, watch their mother Linda clean intestines while their father Ken and brothers Travis and Tim shave the fur off of a pig behind them. The family butchered three pigs in the late fall which, along with other meats and their fall harvest, would provide for the family throughout the winter months.

Yoon Byun, "The Fagans," in POYi Archive, Item #45777, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/45777 (accessed June 8, 2025).