You can’t date a farmer

 If you’ve been over on our Facebook page lately, you’ve noticed that an extra face shows up occasionally.

 

For the first couple of weeks, I just told people I was dating a farmer. Until one day, I realized we weren’t dating anymore. 

Because you can’t date a farmer.

Last weekend, we were supposed to go out with friends and he was still in the combine. When he told me he wasn’t going to make it, oh boy, I was MAD. How dare he miss something that all my friends were going to, especially after I told them he was going to be there? Did he not want to spend time with me instead of that combine?

Meanwhile, he finished the field, put the combine away, fixed a flat grain truck tire, all while dealing with my grumpiness. When I finally came to my senses, I realized farming wasn’t something I could compete with and to be honest, I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to stand between him and his love of the land, I wanted to stand beside him. How dare I be mad that he couldn’t come when he had to finish the work alone?

And that’s why you can’t date a farmer.

You aren’t going to get Friday night dinners out, and Saturday night movies at the theater. Nights out with friends start late and end early because the morning involves early chores that can’t be skipped. And don’t even think about scheduling events in advance because you will ‘just have to see how it goes.’

But if that’s what dating it, I don’t want it. We are building something so much stronger.

We watch the sunset after checking crops. We have long talks in the cab of the combine. We enjoy frozen pizzas together after late night cattle hauls. We brush hog fields in different tractors. He taught me how to rope and I taught him how to ride. We check cows, grind feed, fix tractors, ear tag calves, we farm together.

 

We don’t date. We’re building a relationship that is built on things that are so much bigger than ourselves. We’re building a relationship centered on crops, cattle, and a faith that keeps all that growing. A relationship that’s builds on a love of the land and all the beauty and struggles that come with it. We’re building a relationship that can withstand droughts, hard rains, dead cattle and terrible market prices. We’re building a relationship that is balanced between God and agriculture and is set to stand the test of time. 

And if I have to give up dating for that, I’m ok with it.