“The Unchosen Ones” presents a series of pastoral portraits of young people and animals over time, looking at the bonds and dreams. The project, which began in Minnesota (USA) in 2016, continues to explore the changing complexion of the same youth in 2020. None of the 65 children photographed succeeded in winning an award, despite the care given to their animals. The project celebrates the human and animal connections to the land and honors the agricultural traditions carried from the Old World to the New, while showing us ways humans understand animals. In the second group of photographs, young subjects were asked about their dreams and their goals for the future. Did they see themselves as part of the future of agriculture? While the number of retirement-age farmers increases in Minnesota, census data show the number of new farmers is declining. Is this a dying lifestyle? Small agrarian communities in the U.S. are changing, often radically. The 360-acre family farm has grown to over 10,000 acres, which has had a huge impact on rural America, and county fairs are among the casualties. A few generations ago, every farm had livestock of various sorts and the competitions at fairs were fierce. Now, the same county fair might have only two entries for a competition. The county fair isn’t necessarily the highlight of a kid’s summer the way it used to be. And yet, through their care of animals, the young people who invest their time in this endeavor express the values that have informed generations of children of the land. Although there is abundant evidence that this way of life is disappearing as kids leave the farm, the crisis of climate change and a concern for both sustainability and stewardship of the land point to a path for survival for these agricultural practices and traditions.