April 26, 2008
A 20-acre Farm in Rural Fresno County near Sanger, California
Like many other Hmong farmers, the Lor family raises Asian specialty crops that require a great deal of skilled hand labor and sell for relatively high prices. While the average Hmong truck farm is only twenty acres, these farmers make a living growing niche market crops.
I was introduced to Ye Lor and his family through the now defunct National Hmong American Farmers Association. Staff there made an appointment for me to photograph his farm on a Saturday morning in 2008.
I arrived and was welcomed by Ye Lor and his wife but quickly realized that they spoke almost no English. Neither did their co-workers, so I simply followed them for several hours as they harvested their crops and loaded them on to a truck.
When they broke for lunch, I followed them into the house and photographed as they rested, cooked and ate a meal. The house itself was very interesting— a fusion of Hmong and American cultures— so I continued making photographs with a tripod. No one paid any attention or spoke to me as I worked. It was almost as if I were invisible.
Since it was a Saturday, the teenage kids were out of school. They did not help with the farming but instead played card games and watched television in the house while their parents worked. Nor did these teenagers pay any attention to me or the work I was doing. Again, I felt invisible.
The resulting photographs tell a powerful visual story of a hardworking immigrant farm family. I actually found it easier to do documentary photography without having to keep up a conversation. But I failed to collect important information about the family and their refugee story. 18 years later, I realized that I had not saved their contact info, so I asked several organizations, Hmong elders and other farmers who I hoped might have known them. So far, no one remembers this Lor family.
If you know Ye Lor or any member of this family, please ask them to contact me using the form at the end of the photo gallery. I would love to talk with them.
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The 20-acre parcel that Ye Lor farms includes an old farmhouse and several small sheds or barns, April 26, 2008.
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Ye lor and his co-workers don heavy layers of clothing before work to protect themselves from sun, dust and pollens. Their sun hats are often homemade from brightly patterned thrift store fabrics, April 26, 2008.
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Ye Lor’s wife and youngest daughter prepare for a morning in the fields. The daughter doesn’t actually work but enjoys playing nearby as her parents and aunts work, April 26, 2008.
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Mrs. Lor carries flattened boxes into the field, where she and her co-workers will fill them with fresh-picked produce, April 26, 2008.
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Mrs. Lor and her co-workers harvest white bok choy, also known as Hong Kong bok choy., April 26, 2008.
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A co-worker and relative picks white bok choy, April 26, 2008.
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A closeup view of white bok choy harvesting with a small knife, April 26, 2008.
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A nearly-full box of white bok choy represents a lot of hand labor done in a squatting position. This is the Hmong truck farming niche: growing labor intensive specialty crops that sell for high prices, April 26, 2008.
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The first two rows are planted with a different type of bok choy known as the Shanghai variety, April 26, 2008.
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The Lors’ youngest daughter hangs out at the entrance to one of their hothouses, April 26, 2008.
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A relative of the family prepares to pick crops in a hothouse, April 26, 2008.
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Cucumber vines growing in profusion, April 26, 2008.
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A portrait of Mrs. Lor, April 26, 2008
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Another relative and co-worker prepares to harvest basil from the hothouse to her right, April 26, 2008.
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The workers must remain bent over or stooped when working in the hothouses, April 26, 2008.
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Cilantro plants in bloom, April 26, 2008.
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The youngest daughter carries a small basket of vegetables back to the house for lunch, April 26, 2008.
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Portrait of a worker in her safari style hat, April 26, 2008.
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Mrs. Lor and her co-workers prepare to enter another hothouse, April 26, 2008.
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A worker harvests leaves from long bean vines that will later produce a valuable crop. Meanwhile, the leaves will be used for sauté greens or in soups, April 26, 2008.
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Amaranth (left) and basil (right) are often planted side by side, April 26, 2008.
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A worker harvests amaranth, April 26, 2008.
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A closeup view of amaranth harvesting with a small knife, April 26, 2008.
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Mrs. Lor (left), Ye Lor (center) and two co-workers (right) continue harvesting amaranth, April 26, 2008.
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A co-worker passes a heavy box of fresh produce to Ye Lor at the back of the truck, April 26, 2008
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This six-wheel truck will be driven overnight to a coastal farmers market, where the produce will be sold the next morning., April 26, 2008.
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The Lor’s aging farmhouse includes a long disused swimming pool , April 26, 2008.
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A co-worker takes a well deserved break on the back porch, April 26, 2008
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Another relative and co-worker cools off after a sweaty morning of work in the Lor fields and hothouses, April 26, 2008.
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A relative and co-worker takes a well-deserved break on the back porch, April 26, 2008.
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Once inside, Mr. and Mrs. Lor immediately fall asleep from exhaustion, April 26, 2008.
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Two co-workers watch a Hmong movie on VHS as the Lor’s teenage daughter begins preparing lunch in the kitchen, April 26, 2008.
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The youngest daughter looks through an envelope of recently-processed photos. Hmong Americans love studio portrait photos and always have them hanging from their walls, April 26, 2008.
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A wood stove heats the house in winter. Bottled water delivery is common among refugee families accustomed to unsafe water in villages and refugee camps, April 26, 2008.
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A hearty lunch of chicken soup, fresh peas, boiled pork and rice is quickly devoured by the hungry workers, April 26, 2008.
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Two teenagers play cards on the living room floor. One of these boys, Kevin Vue, was recently honored as student of the month at his middle school with a 4.0 GPA. See his awards in frame 38, April 26, 2008.
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The youngest daughter talks on a land line phone, April 26, 2008.
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Posters to help with civics classes hang in the living room. One of the teenage boys, Kevin Vue, has recently been recognized as student of the month at his middle school with a 4.0 GPA, April 26, 2008.
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Hmong movies on VHS and stuffed animals share a crowded hall closet, April 26, 2008.
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A teenage bedroom at the Lor house. April 26. 2008.
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Another teenage bedroom at the Lor house, April 26, 2008.
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The oldest daughter watches TV in her bedroom. April 26, 2008.
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Tired farm workers enjoy a Hmong movie, April 26, 2008.
Thank you!