''The Farmer's Wife'' is a 1998 documentary film by David Sutherland that follows Juanita and Darrel Buschkoetter, a young couple living on and maintaining a farm in rural

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, who face difficulties holding on to their finances, their livelihood, and their marriage. The film aired in three parts on the

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

series ''

Frontline Front line refers to the forward-most forces on a battlefield. Front line, front lines or variants may also refer to: Books and publications * ''Front Lines'' (novel), young adult historical novel by American author Michael Grant * ''Frontlines ...

'' in September 1998.

Plot

Part 1

Part 1 of ''The Farmer's Wife'' recounts the moving story of Juanita and Darrel Buschkoetter's romantic love affair and begins the journey to the core of their emotional struggles, which have pushed their marriage to the brink. David Sutherland eschews the use of a

narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the a ...

in this film, allowing Darrel and Juanita tell their own story in their own words, without the intrusion of a

, and to let the story play out on its own.

Part 2

In Part 2, the camera focuses on the rhythms of everyday life on the Buschkoetters' farm. The film follows Juanita, Darrel, and their three daughters through days reminiscent of a forgotten, simpler time in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Difficulties arise, however: In September, an early

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

destroys 30% of their crop. The loss forces Darrel to go to work at a nearby farm (making $7/hour in return), while he farms his own land at night. Juanita, meanwhile, cleans houses while trying to get a

college degree An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including unde ...

so Darrel can stay home and farm. Darrel, however, worries that if Juanita goes off the farm, she'll find a job and life she likes better. By

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

, the family is dead broke and unsure of their future.

Part 3

In the concluding episode, Darrel finally harvests the

bumper crop In agriculture, a bumper crop is a crop that has yielded an unusually productive harvest. The word "bumper" in this context comes from a usage that means "something unusually large", which is where this term comes from. Though very productive har ...

he had dreamt about his whole life. It's not quite enough, however, as Darrel has to work for another farmer just to make enough money to feed his family. The resulting

stress Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition * Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...

and

exhaustion Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

cause him to explode, prompting Juanita to take their daughters and leave the farm for a week. The move has a deep and profound effect on Darrel. Two months later, through

counseling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of co ...

, Darrel learns to manage his anger and undergoes extraordinary personal growth. Darrel agrees to be the at-home parent, farming and caring for his three daughters while Juanita, college degree in hand, works at a respected

crop insurance Crop insurance is purchased by agricultural producers, and subsidized by the federal government, to protect against either the loss of their crops due to natural disasters, such as hail, drought, and floods, or the loss of revenue due to declines ...

company in order to help other struggling farmers. In the end, through faith, hope, and hard work, the Buschkoetters save their farm and rediscover the love that holds them together.

External links

''The Farmer's Wife''
page on the official ''

'' website 1998 films American documentary films Documentary films about agriculture in the United States 1998 documentary films Films shot in Nebraska Frontline (American TV program) 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{environment-documentary-film-stub