Fall means apple picking and trips to the pumpkin patch and corn mazes.

Fall means harvest festivals and Halloween costumes and bonfire nights.

Fall means apple cider and pumpkin spice everything.

Fall means crisp walks and jumping in leaves and glowing candles. 

Fall means haunted houses and scary movies.

Fall means oversized sweaters and scarves and jeans.

Fall means football and back to school.

But for this farm wife, fall also means glimmering harvest sunsets in the combine as the sun dips just over the horizon.

Fall means the sight of golden cornfields awaiting harvest.

Fall means the smell of the grain dryer filling the air.

Fall means dinner time happens on the go, in the tractor cab, truck, or combine. 

Fall means date nights spent harvesting.

RELATED: No Matter What, Farmers Keep Farming

Fall means many prayers for my farmer’s safety.

Fall means late nights and early mornings, not knowing when my husband will be in for the night.

Fall means deciding to stay awake and wait for his return or fall asleep in an empty bed, again.

Fall means running for parts and moving equipment and giving rides.

Fall means I’m the go-to girl.

Fall means all pulling together and pushing toward one common goal.

Fall means inevitable breakdowns and delays and stress.

RELATED: This is Why the Farmer is Tired

Fall means fatigue and dirty clothes, but still the slight grin on my husband’s face, knowing he is living out his dreams. 

Fall means being able to finally reap what we sowed so many months ago. 

Fall means making the most of our fleeting moments together. 

Fall means being alone more and maybe a few tears but knowing this season won’t last forever.

Fall means the end of a crop year as we look forward to doing it all again next year.

Fall to this farm family means harvest time: the busiest, hardest farm season that also includes many of the best moments of our year.

Fall on the farm is hard, but it is also full of so many rewarding moments and memories we will treasure forever. 

RELATED: I Married a Farmer

Harvest may mean fewer trips to the apple orchard and not so many fall activities (although I still manage to get my pumpkin spice lattes, don’t worry!). Harvest also means so many special moments we share together you just can’t get anywhere else but here.

Fall to me as a farm wife ultimately means harvest, and there is no place I’d rather be.

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Nicole Burke

I’m a newlywed and new farm wife living with my husband in rural northern Illinois. In addition to helping on the farm, I also work an off the farm job doing content marketing for my family’s John Deere dealership. I enjoy sharing all things farm life, faith, marriage and lifestyle! To find out more, visit me on Instagram or my blog at Midwest Farm Wifey!

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