“To the Bone” is an ongoing photography project documenting daily life and work on a small family farm in the Hudson Valley. Emily, a single mother, manages their small farm with the help of her children. My intention is to explore the strength, dignity and love that keeps them deeply connected as a family, to each other and to their unique way of life on the farm.
—Maureen Beitler
Emily and her daughters dress up for a rare family portrait. It is the first time that she and all six daughters have been together on the farm in several years.
The girls slaughter, pluck, and prepare three chickens. One will be served in a soup later for dinner.
A bantam chicken is brought into the house for protection from an intruder in the coop.
Emily’s youngest daughter helps with the pigs and other livestock. She feeds them and assists with birthing when needed.
The lambs are bottle-fed if the mother is not providing enough milk.
One of Emily’s younger daughters prepares to gather maple sap.
A young friend visits. She has adopted one of the many kittens born on the farm.
One of the girls holds a young pig recently born on the farm.
Emily tries to calm the sheep before shearing begins.
Emily directs from the shadows on sheepshearing day, an annual all-day affair that requires everyone to pitch in. The sheep are sheared, clipped, and medicated as needed, and the wool is then sold or used for bartering.
The family dog follows the girls on a summer day on the farm.
