Farmers need their own dating app because of the misunderstandings that can arise in rural/urban communication.
“When (farmers) use other dating apps, they all to often just encounter people who don’t understand or appreciate their (rural) lifestyle and traditional down-to-earth values,” Derek Ma, FarmersMatch founder, told Farms.com in an email. “Farmers and ranchers are busy. There’s always something that needs to be done.”
Living in rural communities also means there may not be the largest selection of potential partners, Ma said.
“Living in a rural area, meeting people can be a challenge,” Ma said. “Generally, farmers live in small communities where everybody knows everybody. The sparks don’t always fly with people you’ve known all your life.”
Ma grew up on a farm and, despite living in the city, still enjoys his rural roots. He developed the app out of his own interest in finding someone who enjoys the rural lifestyle, too.
“Naturally, my dream is to meet a great country girl,” he said. “Of course, living in a city, this is difficult, and that’s why I started to explore dating apps for farmers.”
Since its founding in May 2016, FarmersMatch has enabled over one million matches.