Lowlands farm, in southwest Birmingham, is home to Beth Withers and her husband, Tom. Here, she talks about bringing up her growing family at Lowlands, a beef and sheep farm, and the balance between motherhood and farming.
February is the month of love, or so they say. I will be honest my farmer isnt much of a romantic. His idea of romance is making me cup of tea and buying a bar of chocolate, but I am more than happy with the simplicity of that.
Although I may not have been the receiver of some giant romantic gesture this valentines day, this valentine did bring me one thing - a bit of a giggle. Many of the country attire accounts I follow on social media posted such wonderful photos of farming couples looking stunning out in their fields or working together in such staged photos that I could not help but wonder to myself, who else in the farming community is seeing these photos and thinking the same as me? Where have they found these farmers? It is certainly not what I am viewing down the yard.
Having come from a non-farming background I did not realise it before, but farmers are actually all around - if only you know how to spot them.
The following guide is by no means scientific, tested, or researched and being a female, it is based on primarily spotting male farmers- however I feel many certainly apply to both sexes.
I must also add, I am 33, so this is from my own experience of farmers similar age and I am sure there is variation by age.
Farming - on the actual farm is not how farmers tend to look when they are out. I have learnt that at the farm it is kind of a anything goes situation. Ultimately you are trapesing through muck or dust, you will not stay clean and who wants to get their best gear all messed up? Old boots, wellies with holes in, filthy leggings, any old zip up fleece; as long as your comfy and can get the job done, then that will do.
When they go out however, that is where it is easy. Firstly, the Schoffel gilet, a tell-tale sign.
Be it in the signature green, maybe a navy blue and only those really bold farmers who wear the red. I do not think I have ever met anyone in a Schoffel gilet who is not a farmer or is not involved in the farming community in some way. A close second alternative if the Schoffel pull over fleece, zip neck. Not as common but also a popular choice in the winter months.
If no gilet or fleece is present, my next guide would be to look at the feet. Boots will be Redback, Blundestone or even potentially a Timberland. Definitely brown or black, normally slip on style with a small tab on the back for easy wearing. If it is the summer time this can become trickier. A second option here is the deck shoe. If it is not a boot, (or a welly if they have not had time to change) it is a deck shoe. Guaranteed.
Something my husband was criminal for when I first met him was the collar. We all think of farmers in the striped or checked shirt but what I did not realise is the collar should be up.
To this day I do not know why, and it has taken me a while to get him to just fold the damn thing over, but having watched the latest season of Jeremy Clarkson On the Farm, I could not help but laugh at advisor Charlie - there he was, collar up!
In the summer you may think it would be harder. No gilet, maybe not even in deck shoes if it is that hot, but I assure you there is still one clear sign. When they are wearing shorts, as weird as it sounds look at the back of their legs. No, it is not some kind of perverted way of checking them out. You will find farmers that have worn wellies all winter, those of the hairier bread anyway, will have a distinct patch on the back of each calf missing. Almost as if they have had one strip waxed across the back of each leg. That is not the case, and it is completely normal, it is just the welly wear. The patch where the welly has rubbed all winter and has gradually worn the hair away, like some kind of free laser removal surgery.
My final sign is the tan lines. Farmers do need to take much more care of themselves in the summer months and it is something I have really imposed on my husband but, the tan lines are atrocious. From welly lines, to sock lines, shearing vest lines to t-shirts. They often get caught out in the heat of the day without sun protection and this causes some kind of colour by numbers suntan pattern.
So, next time you see any of these signs go and say hello. I am sure, if I am correct and they are indeed a farmer, they would love nothing more than to help answer any farming questions you have - they are if nothing else, completely and utterly passionate about what they do.
And on that note, we are donning our Schoffel gilets and off out for the last time in a while as we are about to get rather busy. Next month we start lambing, my upmost favourite time of the year and I cannot wait to see lambs springing in the field, the start of the daffodils are those days draw out. See you in the lambing shed.
