Farming has always been an integral part of the American identity, and to examine the world of farming is to unearth not only America’s past but also its future. As photographer Paul Mobley shows in American Farmer: The Heart of our Country (Welcome Books, New York, Hardcover, 264 pages, $50), there is no better way to get to the heart of farm life than through portraits and stories of the farmers themselves. This collection of photographs, with text by Katrina Fried, tells the tale of farmers across the country, from cattle ranchers in Montana to citrus farmers in Florida. Maine, with its abundance of potatoes, blueberries, and many other products, has played a large role in the agricultural tapestry of the United States, and Mobley features many Maine farmers through stunning photographs and personal stories of real life on the farm. The following photos from the book, due in stores this month, capture the essence of life in rural Maine and remind us of the people right next door who work so hard to produce the food we buy and eat every day. [Click here to buy the book.]

Pictured above, Aaron Bell (a descendent of a 235-year-old farming family) and his wife, Carly DelSignore, pictured above with son, Henry, are organic dairy farmers at Tide Mill Farm in Edmunds.

Harrington grower Robert Hammond holds a handful of blueberries. On average, Maine growers harvest 75 million pounds of blueberries each year.

Rudy Rozema, of Exeter, is one of hundreds of potato farmers in Maine contributing to a more than one hundred million dollar industry.

Brothers Vernon and Neil Crane flank Vernon’s sons, Jim and Steve, on their 2,500-acre Exeter potato farm founded in 1961.

Strawberry grower Ford Stevenson and his son are the fourth and fifth generation of farmers in Wayne.

From American Farmer: The Heart of Our Country. Welcome Books. Photographs © 2008 Paul Mobley. Text © 2008 Katrina Fried. www.welcomebooks.com/americanfarmer