Being grateful is a state of mind. For many people, it isn’t something that comes naturally or without provoking. Often being put into hard situations sparks the feeling of remembering why you are grateful.

For Kylie Epperson, it took first riding the extreme highs and lows of the roller coaster of farm life before that mindset could come with ease.

Kylie and her husband, Jordan, live in Vandalia, Mo., with their three children Rhett, Reese and Rowan. Their family farm consists of corn, soybeans and hogs. For years, Kylie worked as a high school social studies teacher, but she longed to return to the farm, so she did.

Finding her place

The Eppersons expanded the hog operation on the family farm. Then, just a few years after the expansion in 2018, their new sow unit was engulfed in flames and lost in a barn fire. Although the loss was devastating for their operation, Kylie says she saw a lot of “resilience, dedication and faith during that time.”

After building back from the fire, joining the family farm and welcoming their third child, Kylie took a look at her role on the farm. Previously managing the farm’s records, she transitioned to supporting the farm by sharing her message on social media and writing newsletters for their landowners.

She took to Instagram to share more than just the family photos and weekend recaps. Kylie started being more intentional, posting photos about what they did on the farm on a daily basis from crops to livestock. Ultimately, it fostered connections and trustworthy relationships by giving the outside world an inside look at the job of farmers and farm wives.

Sharing her heart

Under the handle “The Grateful Farm Wife,” Kylie created an authentic message and connection with others. When describing who she wants to reach and what she wants to portray, Kylie says, “I want to reach the past, present or future version of myself.”

At the beginning stages of building her message and sharing with more purpose, she saw there was a generation of 20- to 30-year-old women who were in a similar situation — young moms with kids, pregnant moms, or women just entering the farm world and looking for connection.

Her family is her heart. Kylie Epperson spends quality time with her husband, Jordan, and three children on their farm outside of Vandalia, Mo.

“My mess is my message” is a saying she reverberates on a daily basis when interacting with followers of The Grateful Farm Wife. After juggling multiple responsibilities and struggling with postpartum anxiety, Kylie found, like many other millennial moms in a rural America, that she felt the pressure of being a wife in agriculture.

There was a loneliness and lack of connection among rural wives. She shares her struggles to help others in the same situation. Her goal is to build a community and empower rural women to live their most authentic life while offering guiding hands to help traverse it with an open and grateful heart.

Kylie firmly believes even though the farm life can be hard, remaining faithful while fulfilling God’s work helps remind herself and others to, “Keep a grateful mindset and think big picture.” That attitude allows her and others to navigate the struggles with a little more ease.

To learn more about Kylie, follow The Grateful Farm Wife on your preferred platform:

Try these tips to being thankful

Kylie’s definition of being grateful is “being able to look at both sides and appreciate what you have.”

Developing this type of mindset doesn’t always come easy or without practice. Kylie offers five tips for remaining grateful in today’s world: 

Loges writes from Higginsville, Mo.