A few weeks ago I did another agricultural photography shoot on the Zabel farm in Plainview, Minnesota, where Mike Zabel and his father, David, operate Zabel Seeds. This is a three generation farm where the Zabel’s have had their seed business since the 1940s. And although David is now 85 years of age, he still spends much of his time working on the farm and helping out wherever he can. The one thing I’ve learned throughout all my years photographing Minnesota farmers is that they rarely actually retire. They just seem to keep working well into their 70s, 80s and even 90s. The fresh air and exercise is probably what keeps them healthy and living so long.
I posted images of the Zabel’s harvesting corn a couple of months ago, but these images are from a later date when they had me back to focus on the seed operation. Mike does most of this himself, along with some company from the family dog, Gracie. They wanted images they could use on the company website and possibly some advertising down the road. Here are a few highlights.
Dean has specialized in agricultural photography in Minnesota and beyond since 1991. Other areas of expertise are industrial, healthcare, architectural and hospitality photography. He has specialized in commercial, corporate and editorial photography, primarily in Rochester and Minneapolis, for 30 years.
