MA Photojournalism Student, Eli Kaplan, 2007
Project overview:
For most cattle ranchers in the United States it has become impossible to make a living exclusively in the beef industry. Melvin Dube, 61, is one of three ranchers still working full-time in McDade, Texas. Dube’s family has been involved in agriculture since his great-grandfather emigrated from Germany. When he dies, Dube’s land will be split between his four children, none of whom will take over the family business. In documenting his daily life, Eli sought to capture his dedication to the land, melancholy for a more hopeful time, and yearning for the continuation of his family’s legacy that will not occur.
Dube has 250 cattle on his 1,200 acre ranch. He has not taken a vacation in 16 years.
Dube earns a living raising cattle and tending grass crop. He works from sunup to sundown and maintains the operation himself – from feeding cattle, to bailing hay, to planting grass sprigs.
Dube works alone because he cannot afford to hire additional labor.
A drought that many Texas farmers faced in 2006 squelched Dube’s profits due to a shortage of hay and resulting feeding cost.
Melvin Dube and grandson, Corbin, 3, throw fish feed into a stock tan while his other grandson, Clayton, 6, looks on. The tank is primarily for cattle, but it also serves as a farm pond for local fisherman.
Dube’s family attends Church every Sunday. He returns to work immediately after.
Dube spits tobacco in a cup. He said that there would not be many 1,000 acre ranches in the area in a few years.
Photographer bio:
Eli Meir Kaplan studied photography at the International Center of Photography in New York before attending the University of Texas’ masters program in photojournalism. In 2007, “Dry Spell: End of an Agricultural Lineage” was featured in the PDN Photography Annual and in the fall PDNedu’s Storytellers section. Eli also participated in the Eddie Adams Workshop and interned at the Austin American-Statesman. This summer he will be the photo intern at the Patuxent Publishing Company.
More about Eli and his work.
All content on this page courtesy of Eli Kaplan, and may not be copied, reproduced or otherwise redistributed without express permission. Info last updated 04/08/08.
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