03/25/2026
Lets talk farmwives and burnout.
I am part of a number of different farm wife support groups on Facebook. They have helped me feel less alone managing the early years of motherhood, managing the grey area of combining family and business, navigating a transition from employed to self-employed.. of living life with a husband who farms - and it's a community I am so grateful for. In the wee hours of the morning, when sleeps evades me and my mind is churning over the 10,000 things that need done, usually with a toddler in my arms.. these communities are needed, because it is HARD to be a farmwife.
Other members of these groups post on a variety of issues.. The most common ones are crockpot supper recipes, recommendations for washing machines that can handle the heavy grease, the best software for bookkeeping, the usual complaints about siblings and in-laws, a number of faith-based uplifting messages to other woman... But the MOST common post I see form these women, clearly already suffering from burnout? Take a guess...
'how can I make more money for my family?'
They want a quick and easy, remote or flexible source of income that fits into the chaotic life they lead.
Their partners work long hours, 80 hours a week with no days off for much of the year, and are often very underpaid. These women are the ones putting their kids to bed alone, taking them to all their activities, regulating their emotions, teaching life lessons, managing all household bills - and farm bills too, they are maintaining the home, working their own full time job off the farm, doing their best to upgrade a farmhouse that they've inherited which has seen better days, keep on top of ACRES of grass that needs cut, cleaning out gutters, building furniture, helping with livestock chores, chip in with farm work... and somehow STILL they are looking for ways they can do more for others. It is just crazy.
But making an additional $150 per month from a side hustle is not what's going to get you out of burnout. I know it because I've been there. Working MORE and driving yourself into the ground isn't helping your family.
It is hard to look at your situation and realise that it’s not just you who can fix it. It needs to be you and your partner. You are in this together - that's what a marriage is.
I am not a life coach, but I am a Wealth Advisor, I am a Mom, and I am a farmwife too.
My recommendation?
Get a financial plan.
Talk to an Advisor.
Take a hard look at the numbers.
Make a BIG change.
Because if you don’t, the cycle will continue.
We, as women, have worked TOO DAMN HARD to only come this far and hold back from living our lives due to burnout.
PLEASE, reach out to me if you feel your farm is trying to fund multiple lives at once, if you feel that your revenue is strong, but it’s being pulled in too many directions, if you feel like this is ALL on YOU, then let's do something substantial. I work with farm families to make sure the success of the farm actually translates into a life that you can enjoy.
I am happy to be the 'bad guy' who looks at the numbers and figures out what would REALLY help, because another side hustle is not it. It's real planning, advice, and likely a major change.
I want to empower you as women to be heard, to not martyr yourselves for the sake of your husband and the previous generation who your farm is likely paying for.
We have the power to be the change we want to see in the world, and I want to see farmwives like you and me, making the change that is needed.
For ourselves.And for our family.
