5 Ways Farming is Like Royalty

With the arrival of a new royal prince, I have been thinking this week about how similar farmers and their families are to the Royal Family.

On first glance, I imagine many of you are thinking what?

Honestly though, stick with me.

Here are 5 ways farming is like royalty.

1. Farming families. Just like years ago when royalty had to marry their cousins to ensure a royal blood-line, farming families too rejoice if their children marry within farming circles. Maybe they think the two farms will eventually join or they just think people from a farming background will understand the trials and tribulations of farming. I was not a farmer’s daughter. It did not go down well with my husband’s family.

2. Son and heir. I know it is the 21st century and girls can do what they want but when it comes to farmers, I don’t care what people say, they want boys. When I was pregnant with my first child, we didn’t find out the sex of the baby and I saw my farmer’s face when they said it’s a girl. Don’t get me wrong, he worships the ground she walks on and, when there was a four year gap between child one and two, he honestly wasn’t that bothered if we had another but, I also know how pleased he was that our second child was a boy.

3. Just like kings and queens, farmers have servants to do things for them. The servant here is me. Not just the cooking and cleaning but, say a sales rep comes in the yard and the farmer is busy or just doesn’t want to talk to them, it is his personal assistant who goes out and acts as a buffer. Famers Kings are too important for that kind of thing.

4. When ordinary people get married, they usually buy a house together or at least move in together. For royalty, they move into a palace. For farmer’s and their partners, they move to the farm.

5. When you marry in to farming, you automatically marry their family. Whether you like them or not. Other family members-parents, siblings, cousins, can all live on site and you end up working and living with people who, under normal circumstances, you would probably only see at Christmas and other social gatherings. There is protocol and etiquette to follow, just like new people marrying into royalty. I imagine new royals are sat down and have such behaviour explained to them and warned so any faux pars are avoided. Unfortunately this does not happen in farming and, you usually have to learn as you go along.

I may be jesting slightly here but I have honestly encountered these things at various times since I met my farmer. I have failed on many occasions with getting things wrong but it is all fun and part of life. I am just glad, with two boys, I am no longer on the list for beheading.