2025 Life on Farms & Ranches Photo Contest Winners Announced

By Lura Roti for South Dakota Farmers Union

When storm clouds gathered and the wind picked up, many headed to their basements in fear of the July derecho - not Breyten Johnson.

Johnson dashed to the machine shed to watch and wait. The fifth-generation De Smet farmer wanted to capture photos of lightening.

"I really like taking photos of lightening," explained a winner of the 2025 Life on The Family Farm & Ranch photo contest. "Whenever you take a photo of lightening, you have to take it a just the right moment. The lightening lights up the clouds around it. It's almost like a sunset - you get that red, then orange, then it fades off into white. It's always so pretty how it lights up the sky."

Johnson won the Farm & Ranch Scenery division of the South Dakota Farmers Union annual photo contest.

Other contest winners are Bosten Morehart of Winner placed first in the Farmer-Rancher at Work Division and Samantha Swanson of Redfield placed first in the Livestock Division.

Life on South Dakota's farms and ranches

Sharing moments captured on South Dakota's family farms and ranches is the purpose of the annual photo contest, explained Karla Hofhenke, Executive Director of South Dakota Farmers Union.

"Agriculture is the backbone of South Dakota economy and communities, and it is families who do the work," Hofhenke said. "Farmers Union wanted to honor and share the moments they find special enough to capture."

Family farmers and ranchers from across the state submitted photos. Visit www.sdfu.org to view all photos.

2025 Capturing Life on South Dakota's Farms & Ranches Photo Contest Submissions