|
| Love on the farm |
|
|
| Wednesday, 14 March 2007 | |
|
Young farmers are having a hard
time finding a good woman who
isn’t afraid of the simple life.
French farmers are not a fussy lot, as
the small ads on the forum of one French
farming website: terre-net.fr testify:
“Single farmer seeks lady willing to share
the country life,” wrote 33-year-old
Stéphane, a cattle farmer. “I’m not really
looking for a traditional country girl,” says
Stéphane. “I’d just like a nice girl who’s
willing to share my life.”
The Terre-net site is not designed for
dating. It is a very serious site dedicated to
French farming news. On the forum,
however, more and more young farmers
are seeking the ideal partner. Statistics
show that 31% of French cattle farmers
under 35 are single. Until recently, 37-year-old Vincent – a cereal grower from Lugny-Champagne in the Cher was also an agri-célibataire. In 2006, he was contacted by the French TV Channel M6 to take part in their new Reality TV show, ‘Love on the Farm’. In the show, Vincent had to choose two young ladies from a group of 10, previously selected by the channel. He then had to live for a week with each one, before deciding which girl he would choose as his future wife. “It was difficult for them and for me” admits Vincent, “you can’t get to know someone in just a week”. Like Stéphane, Vincent is not looking for a traditional farmer’s wife. Knowing how to milk cows and repair tractors is all well and good, but there is more to life. “City girls seem to have a bad impression of farmers. They see us as shy, stuck-in-the mud, simple types. I’m not like that at all. I’ve got plenty of friends. I enjoy going to concerts, I’m mad about motorbikes, I take a regular ski holiday. Farmers are just like everybody else. The job is one thing, but there is a life after work. Behind every farmer there is a real person. The woman I’d like to share my life with doesn’t need to be some country bumpkin. I’d prefer someone a little more urban, attractive and dynamic. A girl who looks after herself and looks good.” That’s a long way from the traditional image of the farmer’s wife. Meet Josette Guillon; she opened her first marriage bureau for farmers 23 years ago at Moulins in the Allier département. Since then she has opened five more. “Farming has changed a lot over the last few years. Farmers are now businessmen and entrepreneurs. Many of my clients insist that they can run their businesses very well on their own. They are not looking for a wife to help run the farm; they are looking for someone to share their life with.” Farmers do not despair, Country Companions (Campagnes et Compagnes) is, according to its website, the only French matrimonial agency which caters specifically for French farmers. They have a whole catalogue of young beauties from eastern Europe queuing up to sample the pleasures of French country life. C&C can even organise you a trip to Romania to choose your soul mate. Why Romania though? According to C&C it is because Romanian is fairly close to French, so Romanian girls will learn to speak French in a matter of months. Mind you, with the number of Brits taking up life as a French country squire, a smattering of English would not go amiss. Campagnes et Compagnes: www.icsro.ro for serious farming news: www.terre-net.fr |
| < Prev |
|---|
