Last decade has been dry and hot in Portugal, especially in the south, Alentejo and Algarve, compromising agriculture and livestock productions and even the supply of drinking water to the population. At this time of the year, May, the fields are yellow, the plants are dry, and the animals in the herds do not have enough green pasture and have to be fed on straw and silage. Moreover, the price of straw and hay to feed the animals has been increasing in the last years, calling into question the economic viability of livestock production in the Alentejo and Algarve. This panorama led many farmers to plant cereals and other grasses – such as ray grass – to produce straw and silage on unused land.
When I visited the Alentejo last April, I was surprised to see that many lands were dedicated precisely to the production of straw and hay. To avoid straw deterioration, bales are wrapped in a white plastic cover. In this field, my attention was drawn to the distribution of the bales, sometimes in a geometric layout, sometimes seemingly at random. The white of the plastic contrasted with the golden yellow of the stubble and the blue of the sky. The image was captured with a Hasselblad X1D-50c in crop mode.
Did you know that now we offer a VIP membership? Create your Personal Portfolio Page and let us share your published pictures with over 300,000 members and followers.
Benefits of VIP membership:
• Your Personal Portfolio Page – click here to see a sample
• We promote all your pictures to over 300,000 followers via our social media pages
• Download all new issues of the magazine
• Download all back issues
• Download premium eBooks worth £19.45.
• Your uploaded pictures/posts stay attached to your page for as long as you are a VIP member, which could be forever
• Fast Support – we aim to reply within 12 hours
• Submission Priority – your submission goes to the front of the queue
Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor