Dating a farmer sounds tempting, especially if you love the country and want an honest, stabile man at your side. However, there are some things you need to consider and accept before deciding to date a farmer. One doesn’t consider farming a hobby, but a full-time job that puts food on the table, and if you’ve decided to become a farmer’s wife, there are a number of factors you should be aware of.
Let’s start from the beginning:
1. No matter how much your farmer boy loves you, you have to understand that the farm is the priority. Expecting to be the only important thing in a farmer’s life is unreasonable and simply impossible. The farm is his job and livelihood, and it is his responsibility to take care of it.
2. Farmers have to work long hours, and they work very hard. Sometimes they work from sunrise to sunset, and depending on the season, sometimes even longer than that. You might have to accept the fact that there will be days when he won’t be able to give his full attention to you and take you to dinners because he has to attend to the farm.
3. During certain months of the year, your farmer can be so busy, he won’t have any time left to spend it with you. Not for whole months, of course, but days could pass without him managing to find few hours for a fancy night out. When hay season, planting season and harvesting season come along, farmers work all day and most of the night. They can hardly find the time to sleep and rest properly. These times of the year are very stressful for farmers because they work hard and sleep so little, so you have to be supportive and understanding.
4. When you’re dating a farmer, you should expect your plans to suddenly change every once in a while. Not because he doesn’t care about your plans, but because not everything depends on his own will. Farming is not your typical 9-5 job, it is a 24-hour job. Sometimes an animal gets sick, a fence needs fixing or a tractor breaks down – the list can go on forever. Farming emergencies such as these have to be taken care of right away. Sometimes, your plans will get ruined, and you are going to have to be ok with it.
5. Dates with a farmer might be a bit different than regular dates you are used to. They might include riding in a truck, checking fields, cows or other livestock, sitting in the machine shed working on various farm equipment, watching your man cutting wood, etc. Although these might not sound like dates to you, for a true farmer, they would be some of the best dates ever.
6. Most couples start their night out on the town at about 6:00, when they go out to dinner and a movie. A farmer won’t be able to take you out this early, because he won’t be finished with all of his chores. You might have to go out on dates later than what you are used to.
7. In many cases, farming is a family affair. A majority of farms in the US and all around the world are family owned, run and operated. Don’t let this surprise you. You need to be opened to getting along with your farmer’s family, it might be crucial for the survival of your relationship. They spend an awful lot of time together, so you will most probably see much of his family on regular basis. Every farmer is very proud of his family tradition.
8. With a farmer as a date, you should expect a variety of new conversational topic to come along. You will have to get used to talking about the weather, livestock, tractors, market prices, etc. This really isn’t a bad thing. You will get to know all about things you knew nothing about before dating a farmer.
9. If you are willing to accept the farmer’s lifestyle, you will find out that dating a farmer can be very rewarding, and quite an honor. As cliché as this sounds, it’s very true. Farmers are becoming a rarity, and yet they are a huge part of all our lives.
10. Last, but not least, here is a number of random things you have to know before deciding to date a farmer: farmers usually have a dog or another animal they really love and attach to, so you shouldn’t get jealous; they will always be willing to land a hand to their neighbor in need, even if it means being late for a date; you have to be ok with the smell of animal poop, or any other unpleasant smell that sometimes accompanies farms.
If you don’t come from a farming family, you might see these things as huge challenges. The truth is, dating a farmer takes patience and understanding, but for the right person, it will all be worth it. Farmers are some of the most dedicate family men you will ever meet, and if you happen to find your perfect farmer, I say hold on to him as tight as you can.