A rancher from Oroville, Joelle Naphan, received First Place in the 44th annual California Farm Bureau Photo Contest. Naphan was awarded $1,000 for her silhouette photograph depicting a man on horseback throwing a lasso. She credited her agricultural background as inspiration for her photography.
“Agriculture is an art that has been refined by multiple generations, just as this particular loop my brother was throwing has been refined by hours of practice,” Naphan said.
The contest, which took place in 2025, saw participation from amateur photographers who are members of county Farm Bureaus across California. Entries included images captured using both cameras and smartphones.
Michelle Foster of Santa Maria won Second Place and $500 with a photo featuring a tractor in a vineyard. Third Place went to Sean Long of Grass Valley, who received $250 for his photo of his dog Rosie on his family’s ranch. Laura McGrath from Marysville secured the People’s Choice award and $100 for her picture of her granddaughter Riley Bird sitting in a bin of fruit.
Honorable Mentions were given to Jacob Balakian (Reedley), Lisa Branco (Salinas), Brittany Lambert (Oroville), Robin Lynde (Vacaville), Doug Phillips (Visalia), and Mackenzie Yerian (Tracy).
In the Budding Artists category for those aged 13 or younger, Lily Wirz, age 12 from Cienega Valley, took First Place with a close-up image of her rooster Chick-a-Boom. Grady Rocca, also 12 and from Fresno, earned Second Place with a photo showing Thompson Seedless grapes grown by a neighbor. The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom presented both awards.
All twelve prize-winning photographs have been published in Ag Alert, the biweekly newspaper produced by the California Farm Bureau. The photos are available on the organization’s websites—www.cfbf.com and www.agalert.com—as well as its social media platforms.
California Farm Bureau advocates on behalf of family farms and ranches as part of a national network representing more than five million members nationwide.
