In the age of online dating, society is all about streamlining the dating process. Put up a nice picture, write a catchy sentence or two to engage other singles, and make yourself look good in your bio.

It’s like fishing, except every single fish has a preferred bait and you can only guess which will work before tossing out the line. It can feel so disheartening to try your luck again and again when you’re in a city full of people.

And those rules change when you approach country dating.

There are at least 2.2 million farms in the US alone. That’s a lot of people looking for love in rural areas and sections disconnected from many highly populated places. Farmers wake up early, work long hours, get dirty, and do it all again the next day. It’s a difficult career and lifestyle to sell to a potential partner.

If you’ve found yourself head over heels for a farmer, these are some things you need to consider before the relationship gets serious. Unless they sell the farm and start over, this is their life. To be with them, it will have to become your life in many ways too.