Bumpers College Students Place First in National Photography Contest

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Brittany Coffee and Meghan Anderson, University of Arkansas students in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Science’s agricultural education, communications and technology program, have earned top honors in a national photography contest.

They participated in the Center for Public Issues Education agricultural contest. Coffee was the overall winner as well as the first-place finisher in the Faces of Agriculture category with her photograph “Wisdom.” Anderson earned first in the Agriculture category with her “Peewee Showmanship” image.

The goal was to capture a moment, landscape, product or service representing agricultural systems and ecosystems in three categories – Agriculture, Faces of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

“My inspiration was the man in the image,” said Coffee, a junior agricultural communications major from Gentry. “He is my best friend’s grandfather (Papa Reeves) and genuinely one of the greatest men I have ever known. I wanted a picture of him just being him. He is a cattle rancher in southeast Kansas, and he’s standing in front of a pen of his heifers. To me, it shows passion and wisdom learned from long, hard days tending to the land and the cattle.”

The contest was a natural fit for Coffee, who was raised on a small farm and started her own business, BC Photography, when she was 16.

Anderson’s winning entry was taken during peewee competition at last year’s Washington County Fair. She was raised on a broiler farm and had years of Future Farmers of America competition experience.

“I love this shot because it was the end of the show, late in the day, and the kids were dirty, tired and ready to be done,” said Anderson, a junior agricultural communications major from Springdale. “That tone is captured in the way the girl has her hand on her hip, being sassy. Any show kid knows this feeling. Arkansas heat takes a toll on the kids and the animals. I love the story this photo tells.”

Public Issues Education faculty and staff chose five finalists in each category based on artistic merit, composition and overall impact. Winners were determined by votes on Facebook.

“My initial reaction to winning was super surprise,” said Coffee. “It would not have happened without my family and friends voting. I was overwhelmed they took the time to vote. It means the world to me.”

“I was ecstatic about winning the Agriculture category,” said Anderson, who plans to work for a magazine or design agency and eventually wants to open her own photography business. “I entered all three categories and this is the last one I thought would win. I’m proud Brittany and I were able to represent the U of A on a national scale.”

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.