Great Gifts for Farmers

Farmers are often seen as something of an enigma. Gifts can be personal and relevant to the life of a farmer even from those not in “farm country.”

Take notes on what the farmer has. Farming is a diverse industry – dairy cattle, beef cattle, goats, horses, sheep, crops. While most farmers will have promotional items and software needed to run their farm there are many things you might not think of. Perhaps they have magazines that are about their segment of the industry.

Almost any farmer will apprecite an extra pair of insulated overalls, work boots, gloves, hats and much more. http://www.mytscstore.com/detail.asp?pcID=10&linkedFrom;=Homepage Tractor Supply can have so many things farmers can use as well as those living in urban areas. If you’re uncertain there are gift certificates available.

Farmers raising tobacco may appreciate gifts found at http://www.tobacco-gifts.com/index.html – as well as general things. Those who raise pigs may find an unusual gift in a pig telephone – http://www.1-noveltyphones.com/product_info.php/products_id/402/Pig-Phone – -Snoring-Sound/

John Deere themed items can be found in everything from decorative bird feeders to cow bells to games and models. Clothing, puzzles and much more can be found. There’s many other kinds of tractors – often found in other areas. Some can be found in collector items such as http://www.franklinmint.com/subcategory.aspx?sid=2&category;_id=246 – Allis Chalmers, International, Case and Farmall as well as others.

Many animal themed gifts can be found at http://www.betterbarnyard.com/ as well as small animal scales.

A general farm paper many enjoy is Farm Show – http://www.farmshow.com/ – few farmers have an abundance of money. Being able to make do or adapt things to make a job easier is important, and this magazine has hundreds of ideas. There is also a CD available for back issues and special issue.

Many farmers have found a hobby in collecting farm toys. You can find many scale model type tractors, animals and other toys at Tractor Supply (see above). There’s also many sites – http://www.clicknvend.com/efarmtoys/toy2.asp?cat=Farm , http://www.vankleyfarmtoys.com/ and http://www.alsfarmtoys.com/catalog/item_list.asp

If the confusion sets in at seeing 1/16 1/64 and other numbers go to http://www.actionfarmtoys.com/enterstore.htm – there you can find not only various tractors, animals and other toys but such things as miniature hay, bale feeders and many other things found on farms but not as common in finding for toys. There are saddles, bridles and other tack for Breyer models, often collected by adults as well as children. Professional Bull Riders (PBR) have many collectible items also. Many are familiar with the classic and traditional Breyer horses but there are also cattle, pigs and wildlife available http://www.breyerhorses.com/products/prodsearch.php?line=farm lists Hereford, Angus and Longhorn bulls, as well as a spotted hog and other livestock. There are also deer and other wildlife available as well as dogs and, of course, horses. Although I am not a fan of ebay, sometimes you can find older models – a walking hereford bull, Charolais bull, Holstein cow/calf pair and more – at that site. If you have any artist talent you can also get an inexpensive model and repaint it custom – making, for example, a Brown Swiss cow instead of a Holstein. Mounting one on a base for a lamp or other household item makes a unique gift.

Talented crafty people can also paint farm scenes – personalized to the type of farm – on a mailbox or sign.

A site with a wide variety of farm and ranch items is Nasco, an established source of livestock supplies and gifts that can be found at http://www.enasco.com/farmandranch/ – you can find here a boot scraper in a chicken, pig or cow motif. For those who have dairy cows other than the common holstein you can find pillows and other items with shorthorns, Brown Swiss, Guernsey, Ayrshire and other breeds featured and a beautiful print of the seven main breeds of dairy cattle. You can find alarm clocks with chickens, cows, pigs and horses on them. There’s sheep items, goat items and a wide variety of items that can be tailored to almost any household.

Remember and watch for items for less known farming enterprises also. American farmers can produce more than the common products – fish, bees and honey, nuts, herbs and so much more is produced by American farmers. Much we see and take for granted comes from farming.