Summer is here and you know what that means: Farmer tans are here, too!
We’ve all probably heard the expression “farmer tan.” Although many career paths lead you to working outside, no one does it quite like the farmer. One of the oldest and arguably most noble professions, farmers have long been outside all day, every day — and it’s sometimes hard to believe that closed cab tractors only became popular in the mid to late 1960s. Not that long ago! The sun and the farmer will always have to work together; we can’t have enough food for everyone without it!
So what exactly is a “farmers tan”? Definitions.net explains it as: “The tan line left by clothing, especially, by a short-sleeved shirt.”
You mean like this?
Great T-shirt lines! But farmer tans go much further (and weirder), like with hat lines or sandal lines:
I had a little fun and polled my Facebook fans for the first-ever Farmer Tan Contest!
Of the hundreds of people who entered, we have a winner!
Congratulations to Judy’s son! With over 300 comments, likes and responses, it was clear this kid wears his summer farm chore and lawn mowing career with pride. He wins a Farm Babe T-shirt and some swag from AGDAILY.
Besides the obvious tan lines, some of the youngest and most adorable little future farmers deserve an honorable mention:
Then of course, you have the special events … I mean, is it even a farmer’s wedding or an ag pageant if there are no tan lines involved from working outside?
Yes, wrist watch tans, sock lines, tank-top or sports-bra lines, we got it all:
Sometimes, when your arms are so tan, could you imaging using a silly product like this?:
The “Farmer-B-Gone” tan line stopper. Simply take off your shirt and slide these on … your tan lines will be evened out in no time!
This product was created by Matthew Benedetto and can be found on his Instagram account, which is perfectly called “Unnecessary Inventions” to solve problems that don’t exist. Hilarious!
What if your tan lines serve a useful purpose though? Like … camouflage? To blend in with your surroundings? This one is worthy of a chuckle:
Farmer tan jokes can also make for great memes:
Although Judy and her son were the winners above, this was our runner-up honoree, who also deserves a shout-out:
Thank you to everyone who participated in my Farmers Tan Contest! We will have to run another one next year, but in the meantime, hopefully these pictures were good for a smile. Thanks to the farmers who work in rain or (mostly) shine to feed and clothe us all! 🙂
Michelle Miller, the Farm Babe, is an Iowa-based farmer, public speaker, and writer, who lives and works with her boyfriend on their farm, which consists of row crops, beef cattle, and sheep. She believes education is key in bridging the gap between farmers and consumers.
