Nebraska Operation Posts Spouse Wanted Ad
HASTINGS, Nebraska — A 1,100-acre grain and cattle operation placed a classified ad this week under the heading “Farm Wants a Wife,” which its attorney called the first spousal search conducted by a limited liability company in the county, as far as she could determine.
The listing ran in the county weekly and went up on the bulletin board at the feed co-op. It was filed by Wendt Prairie Farms LLC, not by its manager, 61-year-old Lyle Wendt, who said the entity had to place the ad because the operating agreement requires that every notice about the property come from the property.
“I asked if I could put my name on it,” Wendt said. “They said no. Then they said the farm could speak for itself.”
Why the Farm Wants a Wife Instead of the Farmer
Carol Beranek, the attorney who handles the operation’s paperwork, said the arrangement is routine once a farm is held in an LLC. “The farm is the party of interest,” she said. “The farmer is, from a filing standpoint, staff.”
Beranek said she drafted the ad over two sittings and cut it twice. The first version, she said, included a paragraph on water rights. Wendt asked that it be removed. The second included a clause on equipment depreciation, which Wendt also asked that she remove, then asked her to put back, then asked her to remove again.
What the Farm Wants a Wife Listing Actually Says
The text as it ran, including the fine print, reads as follows.
FARM WANTS A WIFE. 1,100 acres, three bins, one dog. Farmer included. Applicant must be comfortable with 4:30 a.m. starts, harvest widowhood from September through the first hard freeze, and a dog named Bruce who has opinions about the truck. Applicant must be able to back a grain cart. Farm retains first refusal on holidays. Farm is not responsible for emotional outcomes. Inquire at the co-op counter.
Beranek said the fine print was drafted line by line. “First refusal on holidays is standard in agricultural agreements,” she said. “Calves don’t observe Christmas.”
How Rural Singles React to a Farm That Wants a Wife
Joyce Lindqvist, who coaches rural singles at county fair workshops, said the ad is more direct than most. “Plenty of people who say they want a partner on a farm are really asking for a second set of hands,” she said. “This one puts it in writing. The farm is a partner who never gives you a day off, and now it has a classified.”
Lindqvist said the dog is the one clause she would revisit. “Bruce is a lot to put in a listing,” she said. “People read the dog before they read the farmer. If I were advising, I’d move Bruce to the second round.”
Thirty-Seven Applicants, Mixed Priorities
Pam Ostrander, who works the counter at the feed co-op, has kept a tally on the back of a seed receipt. In the first few days she logged 37 inquiries. Nineteen people asked about acreage and bin capacity before asking anything else. Eleven asked about the farmer. Seven asked about the combine. Nobody asked about Bruce.
“I told them all the same thing,” Ostrander said. “Come in, read the sheet, and bring a pen. Mr. Wendt is hard to reach during soybeans, so the sheet does most of the talking.”
Comparisons to Farmer Wants a Wife on Television
The ad drew quick comparisons to Farmer Wants a Wife, the reality dating series that pairs farmers with applicants. Wendt said he has never watched it. Applicants will not be filmed, he said, though the camera on the grain bin runs around the clock and sees most of the yard.
Wendt said he has read the section on age in the federal Census of Agriculture report on farm producers twice, and that it did not change his plans. “It’s a lot of numbers about people like me,” he said. “None of them knew about Bruce.” He skipped the companion report on young producers, which he said did not apply.
He said he also attended one of the free farm and ranch succession workshops run through University of Nebraska extension, where the presenter asked each attendee to name a successor. “I named the dog,” Wendt said. “Turns out Bruce can’t be an LLC member. I asked.”
Interviews to Follow Harvest
Beranek said the LLC will review inquiries after harvest and hold interviews at the kitchen table rather than the office, since the office is also the machine shed. Applicants should expect coffee, a short tour of the bins, and an introduction to Bruce, in that order.
Wendt said he is not in a hurry. “I’d like somebody who likes the place,” he said. “The place can tell.”
Humorous Observations on a Farm That Wants a Wife
- Notice the ad doesn’t say “farmer wants a wife.” The farm wants a wife. That’s a man being lonely through a legal entity, and I have to respect the commitment.
- “Harvest widowhood” is the most romantic phrase in rural America, and nobody has ever put it on a card. Roses are red, soybeans are not, see you in October.
- Everybody thinks the hard part is the 4:30 a.m. start. No. The hard part is backing up a grain cart while the person you love watches from a pickup with the window down.
- “Farm is not responsible for emotional outcomes.” Sir, that is the first honest thing anyone has ever put in a personal ad.
- First refusal on holidays. That’s not a marriage, folks. That’s a calf with a lawyer.
Last Updated on November 4, 2026 by Alan Nafzger