Splendid isolation has rewards, challenges for new producer

Hannah Borg:  There's a lot that goes into working with your family. So the first Yeah, at home. First of all, I live with my parents. So I'm living and working with my parents as well, as you know, we're starting a new business and I'm trying to transition out of college, a lot of times we talk about, there's a lot of a lot of talk about transitioning into college. But no one talks about the transition out of college, you know, you go from seeing your friends every day, having a good time, during the next day, you're trying to figure it out. So I live with my parents while I'm trying to manage all this stuff. Because you know, rural Nebraska is kind of hard to find a place to live. Also, starting a new business with no previous experience is a wild experience. And then I'm starting a business with a lot of equipment, working with the contract company in new, new animal. Yeah, mix that all together, and you've got one heck of a mess when it comes to emotional civility. 

“So we're fighting things. Just learning the daily routine, your, you know, our whole life has shifted, in terms of routines and just mindset. And slowly, it just gets better after time. I think you're really took me two years, year and a half, they've almost two years to really feel like I've got this figured out. Because not only am I figuring out life and the chicken barns, but I'm figuring out life on the farm.

Paul Yeager  What is your plan? How has that conversation gone with your family? Because to me, it sounds like it was a very, both honest and frank conversation you have with the family? Am I characterizing your situation accurately?

Hannah Borg: Early on, I understood that my dad was doing things for us, not just for him just like his father did. And you know, I'm in that spot to where I building something that that can sustain itself. So I encourage people, you know, when I hear peo ple talk about, they want their kids to come back home, those decisions, those actions start way, way away, long before the actual action of that daughter or son stepping back on the farm.” 

Paul Yeager: I do enjoy the social media aspect of people who have documented their farms. Because let's face it, it's a great canvas to work with when the sky is the the great color or there's steam coming out of the feed wagon as it's heading down through the lot. I mean, there's some incredible images, and to make it your family that's in them, that has to be special, too.

Hannah Borg: Yeah, and I learned it's hard. I mean, it's hard to take photos when you're working yesterday, my brother and I brought court, the cows home from corn stalks. And it'd be so cool to have, you know, image of us walking, you know, we're chasing the cows, and I can bring out my phone, I take Instagram stories every once in a while and then post them later I take some photos, that's hard, you know that my attention is getting taking away from what's in front of me cows to my phone, I'm trying to snap that photo. And so I know what it's like when you're working, you can't take those photos. So my dream is for families to welcome me onto their farm, and they're just going about their normal business and I'm taking photos of them.

Paul Yeager: You're just a fly on the wall or, you know, you just you're just kind of hanging out and then you capture him. Go ahead.

Hannah Borg: Because I come from a farm I know things don't always go as planned. And sometimes there's big emotions or big tensions. And so I I like to think that I have a handle on, you know, or know how to handle things like those and know that, you know, if something happens, or something breaks down and big emotions come up. Like that doesn't bother me because it happens to us all the time too.

Paul Yeager: And it happens to everybody. You have to remind that farmer that you're not the only one that had a breakdown. You're not the only one where something didn't go right. In fact, if nothing went wrong, then who are you? How is that possible? This isn't Hollywood?

Hannah Borg: Yeah, exactly. And, um, I just, I tried to, it sounds silly, but I tried to glamorize our work. There's, there's a splendid isolation to what we do. You know, we're on the farm every day working, big emotions, sometimes big decisions to make. But even in the small moments like that, sometimes those moments aren't fun. So I kind of glamorize what we do in my own eyes. And like, what's the best way to take this photo? How can I tell the story, because washing water tanks is not fun. But it's kind of fun to be washing water tanks with all the cows looking at you behind you. So it's like that would make a great photo. So I just, I just glamorize my everyday life as best as I can and picture it in my head. And I want to do that the same for others, but with a camera in my hand.

Paul Yeager: We talked about the four years before and since you've graduated, what are the next four years in line for you?

Hannah Borg: Yeah, I don't, I don't know I. I'm really content were worth with where I'm at. I'm really happy to be home. I really like being involved in my community. I really like telling people's stories through photography. So I have a, I have a feeling that the next four years are going to have some sort of mixture of the farm, the family photography, and so much other goodness, I have no idea what's in store.

The full MtoM discussion with Hannah Borg is available now on our YouTube channel of At Market to Market.  

contact: Paul.Yeager@iowapbs.org