January 2026 Program - Soil and Soul: Farming in the Sangamon River Valley

Description

Soil & Soul: Farming in the Sangamon River Valley, a documentary film, tells the history of local agriculture through the recalled experiences of 10 farmers who have spent their lives farming in the region. Over the course of three years, photojournalist Rich Saal captured the stories of their challenges, traditions, and deep connections to the land. Each farmer brings a unique perspective shaped by their experiences. The documentary is a compilation of portions from each farmer's full oral history that Saal filmed and recorded, researched and produced. Rich Saal is a storytelling, visual journalist. He has more than 40 years of experience as an editorial portrait photographer and documentary filmmaker in Central Illinois. He was a staff photographer and then the photo editor at The State Journal-Register from 1985 to 2019. In 2012, while earning a master's degree in history, he digitized more than 1,300 glass plate negatives taken in the 1930's for the Illinois State Journal and the Illinois State Register newspapers which are archived in the Sangamon Valley Collection at the Lincoln Library. From those images he curated an exhibit held at Lincoln Library, Springfield's Public Library.