Barns, Barbecue, and Bales of Cotton - Book Review

Editor Kirby Player visits the Lowcountry

All regions of the Palmetto State share ties to early economic roots associated with agriculture. Some choose to hold on to and embrace this rural heritage despite the trends of modernization that are shaping today’s economy. A unique partnership between Clemson University and the S.C. Farm Bureau has produced a coffee table book that celebrates iconic barns, the products derived from local agriculture practices, and how slow cooked barbecue is a cornerstone of the rural lifestyle.

            

The book titled Barns, Barbecue, and Bales of Cotton has multiple contributors both for the text and the photos. Kirby Player is the book’s editor, and is in charge of the student relations and recruitment at the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences at Clemson. Player is a farm boy raised in Lee County, watching row crops stretch from treeline to treeline each and every year from planting time until harvest. He attended Clemson University and graduated in 1983, and after a short stint in the private sector, he has been working at Clemson’s Ag School for the past 25 years.

            

“Photographs were accepted from the public for nearly a year and a half for this book,” said Player. “We also sought images from the South Carolina office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.” The photos that appear in the book convey a pictorial history of rural South Carolina that will leaver older readers reminiscing, while raising awareness with younger readers about possible agricultural career paths. One mission of this book is to protect the rural past, but to also promote the rural future.

To view the entire feature story in the newspaper click Colletonian.

To view past book reviews click on Turkey Men - Edisto River - Tall Timbers - Red Knot - Audubon's Aviary - Lefty Kreh - Guy Harvey - Year of the Pig- Shrimp, Collards and Grits - Passion of the Wild - Kayak Fishing - Longleaf Alliance - Old Friends (Barns)