This collection celebrates the contributions of our foremothers—mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and neighbors—who devoted their lives to farming pursuits. Some embraced their roles, others detested the life of a farm woman; but most would agree their contributions were minimized or overlooked. And the common practice of referring to them as “farmer’s wife” or “farm helper” or “farmerette” didn’t quite do justice to their work.

Men and women who spent their lives living and working on a family farm or ranch will relate to the emotions and exploits experienced by the women profiled. Town dwellers and urbanites two or three generations removed from the farm or their rural communities and growing up hearing grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ stories about life on the farm will appreciate these women who may or may not resemble in any way their foremothers. City slickers who never spent a day on a farm, nor thought the life of a farmer was in any way appealing will meet a community of spunky, brazen, plucky, hardworking gals who donned trousers every day, scraped cow dung from their boots every night, enjoyed a few hours of deep sleep afforded by hours in the fresh country air, only to rise early the next day and start all over again.