Farm Women – They Truly are Their Own Breed

As I sit here tonight, I can’t sleep. My mind tosses and turns with many thoughts, hopes, dreams, worries, questions, wishes and so on. No, this isn’t out of the ordinary for me to be up at night with my head spinning in thoughts. Honestly, it’s sometimes when I do my best thinking (the other time is milking cows 😉).

So tonight as I soak up the 60 degree November night in the middle of the Indian Summer we are having with a bright moon against a very dark sky, my mind wander to a place I often go, but tonight finally got all the right words in place to finally write it down.

Farm Women. They truly are their own breed. I mean think about it. They have so many traits that you don’t always find anywhere else and they also have struggles (which they have overcome) that others likely haven’t experienced in decades except other farm women.

Farm Women. They are the most patient people you will probably ever meet. Whether it is trying to get a newborn calf to drink their first bottle and they just can’t quite get it or whether it is trying to fit family time in around the farm schedule, these women most definitely know patience. They take whatever is thrown their way with a lot of grace. They (most of the time) don’t overreact and instead take a deep breath physically or mentally and begin working on a game plan to figure it out.

Farm Women. They are some of the most creative minds you will ever know. MacGyver who? These women can do some amazing things or solve a problem with simple every day items. Twine string, duct tape and a plastic jug – yep. You name it they can see a solution. This also comes to preparing food. I don’t know how many times I have looked at my fridge or what’s in the freezer and start piling things together for a casserole or soup. Most of the time it turns out amazing, but there are some duds along the way. I know my grandma could do the same thing and as I read the Laura Ingalls Wilder series, I know those ladies knew how to do that to. They used their resources wisely to ensure no one went hungry.

Farm Women. They are the most giving people you will likely ever know. Whether it’s sharing their family recipes, a casserole with a family in need, donating quilts or other products made with their own two hands that they spend nights working on, farm women won’t blink to help someone else out. It’s that deep soul that truly helps them raise their farm kids. It’s not an easy task – just ask any of us, but it’s that deep, caring, compassionate soul for this lifestyle, for this business, for the land and animals that really shines through in farm women. It’s how they are able to raise children and believe in the future of agriculture and this world, even when we can see so much bad around us.

Farm Women. They are so underrated. Even in today’s society, I have heard stories where people in the industry will not talk to a woman even if she is running the farm. That just irks me to no end. Women have been the backbone to many farms and towns across this nation and continue to be that to this day. And they do it all while raising a family, keeping a house and home, cooking meals and running a busy household.

Farm Women. Multitasker doesn’t even begin to cover what they can do. Managing a business is hard. Managing a family is hard. Managing and caring for a marriage is hard. Yet, we farm women, I believe, do it with grace, poise and our heads held high – maybe not all the time, but we sure have confidence in our abilities. And when we don’t our other farm women tribes help us remember what strength we truly do have.

Farm Women. We truly are a breed of our own with so many strengths and talents we often forget we have. They come from the long line of strong ladies before us and remember we are preparing that road for the next generation of farm women.