Farm Love Stories

From farm show to family of 5 – make that 6!

“In 2009, Brett and I both traveled with friends to the National Farm Machinery Show. While in Louisville, we met through a mutual friend (on the day before Valentine’s Day). We immediately found we had so much in common, including our love for agriculture. We lived on opposite sides of the state at the time, but he traveled to take me on a date the next weekend. We were married the following year and now, exactly a decade since our first meeting, we’ve added three little farm girls to our family and have another baby on the way.”

Krista Swanson, Oneida, IL

Valentine’s Day in a Barn

“Scott and I first met nearly two decades ago at a Jersey cow sale in Louisville, Kentucky. It was love at first sight.

Yes, in an sale arena covered with wood shavings, brown cows with the power to make good cheese, encircled by dairy farmers from numerous states, I spotted my future husband. It was love at first sight. Scott Bohnert, a young Illinois dairy farmer, caught my eye with his tall, dark, handsome look. And, when his calloused, yet gentle hands embraced mine in a formal introduction, I knew then and there that he was the one.

Scott likes to laugh, telling people he brought home more than just the cow, but truth be told, we did not start dating until nearly 18 months after our first encounter.

Five hundred miles of corn rows separated us; I was living in Ohio, and Scott was living in Illinois.  I changed jobs and switched states, feeling that I would need to live in the same state as Scott, if we were ever to marry.

Scott and I just celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary last June. We were married on the farm and now have three children: Tyler, 14; Cassie, 12; and Jacob, 8.”

Scott & Karen Bohnert, East Moline, IL

Meeting the farmer’s daughter

“My now brother in law used to haul all of our grain. Todd used to be a driver for him on nights/weekends during college. Even though we lived 15 miles apart and were both involved with FFA in high school, our paths didn’t cross until one fall when we were in college. However, we didn’t start dating until a couple years later when I was home for a weekend running the grain cart and his brother and my dad thought we’d make a good match! We’ll be married 8 years in September and have added 3 more farmhands to the mix!”

Megan Dwyer, Geneseo, IL