Did you hear? Chris Soules, the heartthrob fan-favorite farmer from last season’s The Bachelorette will be next season’s Bachelor. Chris stole the hearts of the viewing audience with his family-first, country charm and a romantic hometown date complete with horseback ride and picnic in a field on his Iowa farm.* Check out the “Good Morning America” video introducing this bachelor farmer below.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY6KQAW8Qkk[/youtube]
So, what does “The Bachelor” have to do with the environment?
When the new season of “The Bachelor” airs on ABC in January, 2015, America will get to see a lot more of Chris, more of Iowa and more of the rural lifestyle — albeit through the lens of reality television. Sometimes we romanticize life on the farm with movies like “Field of Dreams” and other times we vilify agriculture altogether with movies like “Promised Land.” The truth is, reality is somewhere in between: farming can be rewarding but never easy.
My report, The Growing Business of Cover Crops highlights some of the exciting entrepreneurial opportunities springing up in rural America. With more farmers moving toward future friendly practices like no-till and cover cropping, more farms need the support businesses like crop advisers, seed and custom harvesting. These jobs probably won’t make you a millionaire or a reality television star, but you can make a living, create jobs, improve your local rural economy and be a part of the sustainable agriculture movement.
* I must confess, I’ve never seen the show. But I’ll tune in this January to see who is ready for the Iowa life!
Follow Chris and see his occasional “felfie,” or farm selfie.
