Bosten Morehart of Jorgensen Land & Cattle Wins Farmers Union 2024 Photo Contest

By Lura Roti

When Bosten Morehart read the rules for the 2024 South Dakota Farmers Union Photo Contest and saw that photos needed to be of farmers and ranchers in their element, he knew he had plenty to choose from.

Through his social media work, Morehart takes about 200 photos a week because it’s his job to capture and share the daily stories of Jorgensen Land & Cattle, a fourth-generation family farming and ranching operation near Ideal, South Dakota. The Jorgensen family also operates Lazy J Grand hunting lodge.

“I have become really good at capturing candid moments – when the subject is not paying attention to the camera,” explained Morehart.

A journalism/digital and social media graduate of South Dakota State University, Morehart’s passion for photography began because of a football injury. “I had to have shoulder surgery my senior year, so I was not able to play baseball, but I still wanted to be around my teammates, so I picked up a camera and started taking photos and videos of my teammates and creating social media posts.”

When Morehart accepted the position with Jorgensen Land & Cattle, he had plenty of photography and social media experience, but he did not know much about livestock and farming. He said he’s enjoyed getting a daily behind the scenes look at life on a South Dakota farm and ranch.

“I am learning more and more about agriculture,” Morehart said. “Once I take a photo or video, I will grab someone and ask questions about what is going on so I can learn and put the work into words on social media.”

Morehart’s winning photo captured the moment employee Dylan Donahue put a Gallagher eShepherd Collar on a cow’s neck. This collar enables virtual fencing and enhances grazing management for improved grassland and herd health.

Like all Jorgensen Land & Cattle employees, Morehart begins his week at the employee meeting where work priorities are discussed. “Based on what the priorities are, I try and figure out what would do best on social media, and I go around and capture every priority as it is happening.”

Because he is new to agriculture, Morehart recognizes the importance of the storytelling work that he does. “A lot of people don’t understand what farmers and ranchers do every day to get food on the table and into the grocery stores – and to help the environment,” Morehart said. “It is really important to show the work that farmers and ranchers do.”

Showcasing the lives and work of South Dakota family farmers and ranchers is the goal of the South Dakota Farmers Union Photo Contest, explained the organization’s Executive Director Karla Hofhenke, of the contest that launched in 2020.

“Everyone is impacted by the work our family farmers and ranchers do every day because the work they do feeds us all,” Hofhenke said. “But many do not understand the care and effort that goes into the food they buy, or know the people who raise it. This photo contest is one of many ways Farmers Union works to connect consumers with producers.” 

Click here to see other photos submitted to the 2024 Farmers Union Photo Contest.