Gillham Wins Colorado Department of Agriculture Photo Contest

To know Brandee Gillham for any length of time is to assume there is a notebook or keyboard somewhere, and a camera, somewhere nearby.

With her tools are an observant eye of nature and people that is captured in her stories and photographs. She has a way of describing the everyday events in ranch life in an entertaining and relatable way. Her view on life behind the lens has the same skill level, capturing moments that can be understood a lifetime. Her ability to capture moments on the ranch earned her the grand prize in the "Colorado... it's Agricultural" photography contest. Her entry, entitled "Pursue the Dream," is of her third son wishfully watching his dad gathering cows for branding. Shortly after the picture was taken, he was off to find his dad.

Judges called Gillham's entry the best depiction of the "spirit" of Colorado agriculture.

"For me, this embodies why we do what we do. There is little financial pay in agriculture, but we are making a huge investment in the future. We have amazing opportunities to teach our children about taking care of the land, the animals and relationships with others. For our family, we also teach our cowpokes that they are responsible for stewarding the gifts the Lord has given us," Gillham said.

Winning photographs will be displayed in the Beede-Hamil Agriculture Building at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling, Co., and online at coloradoagriculture.com.

The "Colorado ... It's Agricultural" photography contest is sponsored by AgInsights Committee, Colorado Department of Agriculture and Northeastern Junior College. The program was started in 1998.