How to Be an Urban Farm Wife

Good evening ya’ll! My new posts usually go live on Sunday nights, but we’ve had a bit of excitement lately. On Easter Sunday, one of our hogs gave birth to 11 little piglets!

 

I never thought I’d be so excited about pigs! My husband went to feed the hogs (we’ve got 2 and they were both pregnant) after church and discovered that one of them had given birth. After lunch with the family, the girls and I headed to the farm to meet the new little piglets.

This year has been exciting because my husband has stepped out and started his own business, Anthony’s Roots. He’ll be selling range free eggs, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and hogs.

I never in a million years thought I’d be married to a farmer. In fact, my coworkers and friends often say that I look nothing like a farmer’s wife, and am to prissy to be a farmer’s wife. Well I beg to differ! In fact, let me tell you how to be an urban farm wife.

1. Be flexible. This is easy (sort of) for me because as a school counselor, I know that everyday is different. The only constant is change, and constantly expect the unexpected. The same is true for farming. Sundays are usually designated as family days, however this past Sunday, Easter Sunday to be exact, one of the hogs delivered piglets. My husband wasn’t expecting them for a few days, so he had to finish their nesting area. To complicate things even more, it rained most of the day, and one of the other hogs got out. What was supposed to be a one hour trip to the farm turned into a 4 hour ordeal. Instead of getting bent out of shape about him not being home, I packed up the girls and joined him.

2. Don’t be afraid to get dirty (on occasion). Living in the south, you hear all kinds of expressions like frog giggin & mud boggin’ which to me, all equal getting dirty. I’ve never been much of an outdoorsy person, but farming has changed that considerably.

I’ve always been an animal lover, so I enjoy helping my husband care for the animals. Buddy our dog, loves to jump on me after he’s been walking around in the mud.

Just yesterday I had the pleasure of helping some of the new piglets find their way to their mother as she turned over so they could nurse. Their eyesight still isn’t that good, so they had trouble getting to her when they wanted some milk.Did I mention it was raining? In the past I would’ve never stepped foot in the rain for fear of ruining my hair. Thankfully, my gel kept my curls intact.

3. Be supportive. Farming is hard work! Physically and mentally. My husband multi-tasks daily, and his mind is usually on work. He works long hours and he prepares for planting and harvesting. The craziest hours in our home are probably between 5:00-8:00 pm. Lately, he’s been coming home between 6:30-7:00, after the peak of crazy. It’s easy to lash out at him when he comes in the door, but I have to remind myself that he’s making a sacrifice too. He’d much rather be home with us, but is working hard during this busy season. Don’t forget to be your husband’s biggest cheerleader!

4. Know that it’s okay to be fashionable on the farm. Believe me, I am being realistic when I say that. I know that it would be foolish to wear 3 inch heels and all my favorite jewelry, but who says working outside means you have to look thrown away? My new favorite statement farm piece is a great graphic tee.

 

5. Use the farm as teachable moments for your children.  The girls love animals just as much as I do, so we’ve been teaching them to respect the animals and handle them with care.

Melody has also been asking her daddy if she can help do different things. For example, yesterday she asked to help shovel. He told her to wait so he could help her, but she picked up the shovel anyway and ended up knocking her sister in the head. She is so eager to help, but she’s got to learn to slow down.One of the courtesies of farm life is all the built in lessons I’ll get to teach my children.

Being a wife to a man in any profession is a challenge, however, I hope I shed some light on what it’s like to be an urban farm wife. What do you want to know about farm life?

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