(upbeat music) - Welcome to "A Shot of Ag."

My name is Rob Sharkey, I'm your host.

The story of agriculture is sometimes hard to tell, but what better way to tell it than in a book?

Today's guest is an author.

Yes, we're gonna be talking with Andrea LeFevre from Ashton, Illinois.

How you doing?

- I'm doing great.

- [Rob] Did you ever think you were gonna be an author?

- It was never in my dreams or in my plans.

- Really?

- But I'm grateful that it led me here.

- [Rob] First of all, tell people where Ashton, Illinois, is.

- It's up north, pretty close to Dixon, where Ronald Dragon is from.

- That's right.

(bell dings) I don't know.

(Andrea chuckles) It's fun to ring sometimes, yeah.

Is that where you grew up?

- Yes, well, close by, close enough.

- Did you grow up on a farm?

- I did.

- Okay, what kind of farm?

- Corn and soybeans.

- Okay.

Now, like when you were little, Andrea, running around, did you ever think you were gonna come back to the farm?

- Absolutely, so I was sneaking out of the house consistently to go back shed and be with my dad and my grandpa.

I wanted- - To smoke cigarettes and... (both laughing) That's where it sounded like you were going.

We used to go behind the shed to smoke cigs.

- Oh gosh, no.

I wanted to get out of doing laundry and dishes and I wanted to go air up tires, wash windows.

- [Rob] Really?

- Do all the farm manual labor.

- So even from a young age, that really appealed to you?

- Yeah, I liked being outside.

- Okay.

Now, I've got five older sisters and the reason being when, my generation, the boys only came back, so my parents kept going till they had a boy, right, 'cause they wanted someone to take over to the farm.

Now, you are younger.

Was that ever an issue with your farm?

Did they look at maybe a girl as not been able to come back?

- Ooh, that's an interesting question.

So I don't have any brothers, I only have sisters, but then again, I was the only one that showed interest in the farm and they took note of that.

Like my dad still to this day is very supportive of, "Hey, we need someone to quick run this grain cart."

I'm the first call, so that's really nice, but unfortunately the way that that unfolded for my dad's family is it got sold off after the grandparents passed away and it kind of stinks that, you know, the future generations didn't really get thought of throughout that transition, but me and my husband are here trying to make some breakthroughs and do our own farming.

- Now did he grow up on a farm?

- He did, yep.

- Where'd you guys meet?

- On the river.

- [Rob] On the a river.

- A a river, yep, a float trip.

- Down by the river.

- Yeah.

- So just a random meet?

You guys weren't set up or anything like that?

- I wanna say maybe my sister did set us up because her now husband, boyfriend at the time, he was friends with my now husband and they just had this float trip planned and we both went and the rest is history.

- So love at first sight?

- Um... - No, huh?

- I kind of ghosted him after a while.

- Yeah, but isn't that what the kids do now?

- I guess.

- They act like they don't like each other because they like each other.

- That's true, yes.

- Okay, must be weird.

- I fell into that trap for some reason.

(Rob laughs) - How long you been married?

- This is gonna be our fifth year.

- [Rob] Oh my God, you're still newlywed though?

- Yes.

- Okay.

- And you guys are farming?

- We are.

We also help his family, my in-laws.

- Okay, so do you guys have, do you farm separate from his family's farm?

- I wouldn't say so, no.

We farm together, use their same equipment.

- It's typical, right?

- Yeah.

- With farming and that.

So yeah, him being a farmer probably didn't hurt his chances of, you know.

- Right, that was on my checklist.

- Although you still ignored him.

- I know.

- You would think.

- I know, I know, I know.

Nope, it was on my checklist to marry a farmer and here I did five years later.

- Sixth generation to farm.

Is he the same?

- Yes.

- Does that make you feel good?

- It does, it makes me feel proud that somebody did something right to keep passing it down and thinking of the next generation.

- Yeah, so what are you guys raising?

- Corn, soybeans.

We just got some chickens, hopefully they lay eggs soon.

- That's a bad idea.

- I know.

I haven't touched one yet.

- [Rob] You haven't touched it?

- I have not touched the chicken, but I will touch the eggs as soon as they start laying them.

- Okay, do you have a chicken phobia?

- I have a germophobia.

- Oh.

- Which makes no sense 'cause I'm a farm girl.

- [Rob] They're a filthy feathery creature.

- Right, yeah, that's probably the filthiest farm animal you could ever imagine.

- Yeah, but everybody, they get a farm, we did the same.

We bought a bunch of 'em and then like after a few days of having 'em, like, why would we?

You can go to KFC and get a whole bucket of it with 11 herbs and spices for like five bucks.

(Andrea laughs) - I bake a lot, so I knew that I needed a steady stream of eggs all the time.

- So these are not like meat chickens?

- No, not meat birds.

- Okay.

Do they have a rooster?

- No.

- Because they could be mean, they chase you.

- So there are a few that are mean.

They get out every single day and I have to chase 'em back in.

- [Rob] So you say you're a stay-at-home farm wife?

- I am, yes.

- Okay, kids?

- Two boys.

- My gosh.

- I know, my youngest just celebrated his second birthday and my oldest is 3 1/2.

- Oh wow.

- I busy.

I'm in the thick of it.

(Rob laughs) - That sounds horrible.

- I planned it that way because I wanted them to be best friends and so far they are, they're not, they sometimes fight each other, but they really love each other.

- Two boys?

- Two boys.

- Okay.

And you, two years ago you made a hard decision.

Used to do hair.

- I did, I owned my own salon for, gosh, five years in a row in my hometown where I grew up and I just knew that there was something bigger and better out there so I went to go work at a bank.

I used to, I went to go work at Pioneer, my local seed dealer, (bell dings) so that way I could see more farmers.

- Unsolicited plug right there, yeah.

But you owned a salon?

- I did, owned and operated.

- Do you talk a lot?

Because I feel like salon, you all just talk in there.

I've never really been in one, but I watch movies.

- So, I grew up where I was the quietest one.

My sisters always talked for me and over me, so it's weird how it's came into my life, but I don't know where I'd be without it.

- I mean, did you like doing hair?

- I did, yeah, mostly for other people's gossip.

- Oh, okay.

- So I could stay up on the town news.

- Do you ever like blackmail people?

- Oh gosh, no.

I would never think of that.

- You can make more money that way though.

Imagine you, I don't know what you get for- - You sound like my husband, "More money."

- Well, yeah.

(Andrea laughs) You do somebody's hair, I don't know what's that, 30 bucks, 40 bucks, and then you say, "Hey, you know, you either tip me 50 bucks or I'm gonna tell people what you just said."

- Oh gosh, no, I'm not a black mailer.

(Andrea chuckles) - Okay, all right, so you decided to, I mean, was that hard decision because like if you owned it, I'm assuming there was a lot of work that went into getting it.

- Yeah, it was hard, but looking back now, I don't really miss it because the lifestyle of just being on a farm with my kids, it's worth it.

- Yeah, I always thought that would be hard too because, well, look at this, right?

When I go to a barber and she just sighs when I walk in 'cause her wrists are gonna fall apart from trimming all this, it seems like it's a hard life.

- Yeah, I felt like I got carpal tunnel a while back, so I've scaled back to just doing family right now.

- Oh, you do your, really?

- I know, usually- - That's a horrible idea.

- Every holiday when it comes around it's, "Hey, can you bring your scissors?"

I like to do it.

- I mean, literally, if you make one slight mistake, they'll probably never forgive you.

- Well, lucky for them here grows back.

- Okay, all right, at what point did you think, "Hey, let's write a book?"

- So I had just become a stay-at-home mom and my oldest at the time, he was really into memorizing books from start to finish.

- [Rob] Like "Moby Dick"?

- He is extremely intelligent, and like I said, he's only 3 1/2 right now.

- Is he one of those kids that can like look at a page and the photographic memory?

- I'm not sure, I haven't tested that part, but he's extremely smart.

- Huh?

Come from the father's side?

- Must.

(both laughing) Anyways, his favorite book went a little something like this.

Farm dad took farm kids out to go feed the cows, slop the pigs, collect the chicken eggs, and then they would go off to school.

The farm dad would go ride the tractor, do whatever needs to happen on the farm.

The kids would come back from school and they would get to ride the four-wheeler, ride the horses, whatever.

And then on the very last page it would say, "Thanks, Mom, for frying us chicken."

And at that point, after reading it so many times, something clicked in my brain and it's like, but we do so much more than this.

The world needs to know about this.

- That is literally every farm book.

- I know.

- As you're sitting there saying that, I'm like, "Yeah, I kind of remember reading exactly that," because you had to show the picture of the tractor and the, yeah, and all this, and then mom was at home dutifully, I don't know what moms do.

- Doing the laundry, something.

I know, I hear jokes all the time like, "What do you do as a stay-at-home mom?

Do you lay on the couch and eat bonbons all day?"

No, so I had to- - Oh, you don't?

- I don't.

- Okay.

- That would be nice, that would be a nice break.

- So you decided to write a book of more of like what you do?

- Yes.

- Okay.

- Everything, how we're helpful on the farm.

- Yeah, this is you.

You got the the gun show.

- Yes.

(both laughing) Working hard.

- Yeah.

The books are very, you know, you can't ignore with a kid's book that, you know, you gotta have good artwork and good pictures and you do have that.

So tell me, if people haven't seen your books, tell me like the overall theme of what you're trying to get across.

- I just wanted farm moms specifically to know that their role matters on the farm.

Maybe they aren't as active in the farm that they once were or were hoping to be, but what they do still matters.

So I want the kids to see that we're just as hardworking as the dad, as anybody else in the operation.

- Oh, I guarantee, I had zero desire to watch my kids as they were growing up.

Always appreciated what my wife did and I think what a lot of times people don't understand, all I know is farm wives, right?

I don't know suburban, so I talk about what I know, but you know, now my wife is like, she's a producer of the shows and radio shows and all that, but beforehand she was doing probably more of what you were doing.

I mean, she was making that household run with young children in it.

It was invaluable.

So yeah, I do like seeing a story like that.

There's no reason you can't have both stories and they can still look at the dad's side and the mom's side.

- Right.

- Is there not many of children's books farm like this that are more geared towards the wife?

- There's not, that's why immediately I thought, "This needs to be out in the world and I need to do it."

- [Rob] Yeah.

- It was in my heart, on my mind, so I knew there was a reason it needed to be done.

- Okay, if thinking it needs to be done and going ahead and doing it, two different things.

How hard was this?

- Honestly, thank God for technology these days.

When my sons were littler, I had Briar in one arm, Boone in one arm.

They would take a nap on me 'cause they're boys and they love cuddling their mom, and during their nap times I would be on my phone googling, "How do you do this?"

- How do you do that?

- I know it was tough, but I made it work.

- Extremely long fingers.

- I am stubborn so I was adamant about doing this and I just made it happen, I made it work.

- Huh, okay, I mean that's, that actually says a lot 'cause the kids are tired, you have to figure the mom would be tired too.

- (laughs) I know, I would've rather taken a nap, but it's worth it.

- Did you actually write the book or did you have the AI write it?

- I don't think AI was even a thing.

- [Rob] They can do anything.

- I'm sure they can, but no, I'm very proud of what I do.

- This is all you.

- This is all me.

(Rob laughs) - Well, how's it been going?

I known nothing about writing books.

I mean, I see like, it's got like the barcode and that.

You got the Instagram.

I mean, where do you even sell stuff like this?

- On my website, I had a friend nearby help me 'cause she sells like T-shirts and things online 'cause I am not good with technology.

She helped me make a website www.FarmWifeAtHeart.com and away we go.

- Is this a chick's hat?

I never know 'cause I don't wanna put on a hat that is a girl's hat.

- I'm sure it would look good on you too.

- There's different styles though, right?

There's like the dude's, I mean the guy's hat comes up more.

- Yeah.

- Okay, I'm gonna put that down.

- That can be for your wife.

- I do like the hat, but now I'm self-conscious about it.

(both laughing) Well, how's it been going?

Are you selling books?

- It's been really fun.

I have nothing negative to say about my journey.

I think it's been worth it.

It's been fun, nonetheless.

- [Rob] You gonna keep writin' 'em?

- I think so.

My husband, every now and again, he'll like text me, "Hey, here's a good idea for your next book," whenever something pops into his mind, so he's really supportive and is pushing me to, that there's still something out there that needs to be taught.

- I think your next book should be about a little farm girl that sneaks out and smokes cigarettes behind the shop.

(Andrea laughs) - That's a terrible idea.

- You wanna sell books or not?

(both laughing) - Oh goodness.

- All right, tell me about Fostering Farm Friendships.

- Yeah, so that was in different to Farm Wife at Heart.

I really felt the need for women on the farm to come together as a safe space to know that, yeah, this life is tough, sometimes it is really lonely.

Let's come together, let's gather, how can we make this better?

- I can't tell you how many times we've talked to a non-farming spouse, which I know you're not in that category, but they marry onto a farm and then they get to a farm and it's the isolation.

They aren't used to it.

They don't realize that like during, you know, planting or harvest or calving, that they aren't gonna see their spouse for a while and it creates depression, it creates loneliness, and you don't know who, you can't go over to your neighbor 'cause you don't have a neighbor, so, I mean, is some of that like what you're trying to address?

- Yes, so even though I grew up raised on a farm, watched my mom go through the same things that I feel like I'm going through, I didn't know that it is so secluded, that there is nobody out there.

Yes, I can talk to my mom about it.

I want more people to feel open to being honest with themselves, like this is not as easy as the outside world makes it look, so let's just be honest.

- You do have social media, which I think can help sometimes, but in the other sense, I don't know.

I don't know who can be on social media and be fine with seeing the people that post this perfect farm life every day and others that get to it and that actually brings them down because they feel like they can't live up to that.

- Right, that is always in the back of my mind.

I have to tell myself social media is just a highlight reel to their real.

Everybody's got sticky stuff, but nobody wants to show it.

That's why I did the Fostering Farm Friendships is this is the real, this is the honest, this is the raw.

- Okay, so what is that, the Fostering Farm Friendship?

Is it like a group or, I mean, run me through how that works.

- So I first made it up as an event.

It kind of fell through because life happens.

So I'm still working on how I want that to be viewed.

It's a work in progress.

- You're on Instagram, A Farm Wife at Heart.

- Yes.

- My wife drew a heart, but I think, you actually write it out, right?

- Yes.

- Okay.

She's so clever.

(both laughing) Now, how has social media been for you?

Have you been able to realize that it is a highlight reel?

It's easy to say it, but then sometimes it's like, really?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Sometimes I get in down in the trenches, but you gotta pick yourself back up and get on with real life, it's the farm.

Things are moving.

We gotta still keep going.

- How about like, are you hoping to create like a company with your merch, with your books and that, or what's the end goal?

- That's a good question.

I'm not sure, it's still a work in progress.

I know my husband has these big, big ideas, but I'd like to stay more real and get that personal touch with who I am working with.

- Wait a minute, now your husband is like wanting you to... - Expand.

- Okay.

I don't wanna, I don't know.

It throws me a little bit when you say that because, you know, we interview a lot of people and there are a lot of, let's just say with farm wives that want to do stuff like this.

Their biggest opponent is generally their spouse, but you're saying, "My husband's like, 'Go on and get, let's go.'"

- Yes, he is extremely supportive.

I don't know where I'd be without him.

- Wow, that's fantastic.

- Yeah, I got a winner.

- It's fun to hear 'cause you know how it is today, right?

People talk about their spouse and it's like, "Oh yeah, he's kind of a doofus, but I love him."

It's nice to hear somebody actually caringly say how much that they love how their marriage is.

- Yes, it's beautiful.

- Yeah, is it awkward now?

(Andreas laughs) - No.

Now.

- I know.

(both laughing) Silence will do that.

As far as the farm goes, I mean, that's the plan is just to continue to build and farm for the rest of your life?

- Absolutely, I would love that.

- And eventually have a place for one or all of your kids.

- Yes, if that's what they want.

I'm not gonna pressure them into it, but I think right now they both have a love of being behind the tractor wheel, so it might work out.

- Oh, yeah.

Yeah, that doesn't take a whole lot.

But, you know, it's funny like when you talk about like you were growing up, sometimes the kids don't have much of an interest into the farms and those are the ones we see coming back to the farm more just going off people that I've interviewed.

- Wow.

- It's heartbreaking at times to see people that had a love from it just from a young age and haven't been able to find a way back, so I'm really happy you have.

- Thank you.

- Okay, you ready to switch gears?

- Sure.

- Let's talk tattoos.

- Okay.

(both laughing) - What do you got?

- I've got two.

- Okay.

- I think I had just turned 21 and I was feeling a little wild, feeling a little courageous and me and my sister went to go get a tattoo.

Hers wasn't the same as mine, so I got a John Deere emblem on my side just 'cause farming's in my roots.

- Stop.

You were how old?

- I think 21.

- You were 21 and you said, "I was feeling kind of wild so I went and got a John Deere tattoo."

(Andrea laughing) - Yes.

- Now I love John Deere, they've been a wonderful sponsor, but I don't equate them with being a wild decision.

- Well, farming is just in my blood, so I don't know what else I would've gotten.

- Okay, well we can't see that one, but let's see the other one.

- I did get a cornstalk tattoo last harvest.

I was going through a time when I felt not on the farm as much as I wanted to be so I felt lonely, I was feeling bad and I was like, "You know what?

I married a farmer for a reason.

I had farm kids for a reason.

This is tough.

I will get through it, but these are still my roots.

This is who I am."

So I just got it.

- Okay, it looks good.

- I like it, she did a good job.

- How many ears are on it?

- Two.

- Two.

That's pretty much anymore, it seems like that's the case.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

When we do the Man on the Street on the other show, I always ask how many ears does a cornstalk have.

Most people are like, "Oh, a dozen."

So yeah, people just don't understand.

That's a good tattoo.

- Thank you.

- I don't know, I like the simple ones, yeah.

What's your next one gonna be?

- I, gosh, I did just tell my husband I wanted to get another one, but- - Are you feeling wild again?

- I must be, my goodness, I don't know.

I'm sure it was farm-related, but we'll see.

- Okay, to be continued.

- Yes.

- All right, pitch yourself, tell people where they can find all your stuff and what they should buy.

- Www.FarmWifeAtHeart.com, I have both the Harvest Edition and the Planting Edition books and I've got merch.

- [Rob] There, you're gonna break stuff.

- Looks like it.

- I'll get this.

I'll get this.

- My books, I've got hats, I have T-shirts for sale.

- Do you got guys hats?

- I don't, I should.

- Well, why wouldn't you?

- I call my husband Mr. Farm Wife at Heart, so maybe I should make a hat like that.

- I'd make a joke, but I don't know if that upsets him.

- Well, he's not in here right now.

- Okay.

You got the koozies.

- Yes.

- Okay, what's Rosie The Riveter?

Isn't that who that is?

- Yep.

- All right, so a lot of chick empowerment stuff.

- Yes.

- Okay.

- Yep.

- All right.

I'd like what you're doing.

- Thank you.

- I like the book.

I love your attitude.

- Thank you.

- And I love the spirit.

I love that you are enjoying what you do, not just the farming, but also the raising the kids and being married.

It's very, very nice to see.

You are a very positive person and I can't thank you enough for coming down here and being on the show.

- Thank you, I appreciate the opportunity.

- Yes, so Andrea LeFevre, thank you so very much.

Everybody else, we'll catch ya next time.

(upbeat music)