Sporting dirty boots and a deep-rooted love for the land, a new wave of female farmers is making waves on social media under the trending hashtag #FarmGirlSummer. Step beyond the sunsets and tractor selfies, and this viral movement is offering something deeper: a window into the real day-to-day of agricultural life.
The Packer spoke with four influencers who are using their platforms to share more than just aesthetic glimpses — they're educating followers about rural realities, farm work and what it truly means to live off the land.
Miranda Neville, Dairy Farmer
Miranda Neville and her husband, Douglas, are dairy farmers in Pennsylvania on his family farm. In addition to farming, she also works an off-farm job in agricultural conservation, while balancing family life. Neville says she enjoys sharing her life on the farm on social media and all of the joyful chaos that comes with it.
The Packer: What does #FarmGirlSummer mean to you personally?
Neville: There is rarely a slow day living on a farm, especially if you have livestock. For me, #FarmGirlSummer is about finding the peaceful moments during the busiest time of year. Some examples of that might look like unloading hay in the summer heat but then watching animals graze on the lush, green pasture. Showing dairy cattle at county fairs while making memories that will last a lifetime with friends. Working tirelessly to get crops planted but making time to deliver meals to the field and having a sunset ride in the tractor. Farming can be difficult, so #FarmGirlSummer is about romanticizing my life while doing farm chores and appreciating the land that surrounds me.
How do you think social media is shaping the way people see farm life or rural living?
Historically, there have been so many misconceptions about farmers and ‘country life.' With social media, we are able to show firsthand what we do and why we do it. Yes, it's a simpler life — in that we aren't living in a busy city and bustling traffic— but we work long, hard days to improve the lives of our families, our livestock and crops. We are able to share ideas, educate and build connections with so many different people from all walks of life. It's giving a voice to farm life and rural living in a way that has been limited in the past.
What message or feeling are you trying to share when you post with #FarmGirlSummer?
Through my social media, I show the realities and struggles of life on our dairy farm, but I also try to focus on the most beautiful parts of farm life — particularly in the summer. I want others to see my content and know that even though we work long, tiring days, it's still important to make time for the things we enjoy.
Follow Miranda: Tiktok (Miranda.neville); Instagram (Miranda.neville1)
Erica Loesel, FarmHer
Erica Loesel balances a career as an oncology nurse with Michigan farming.
The Packer: What does #FarmGirlSummer mean to you personally?
Loesel: For me, #FarmGirlSummer evokes a vivid, grounded kind of freedom. It's not just a hashtag — it feels like a celebration of hands-in-the-dirt simplicity, sun-kissed days and a deeper connection to the land and hard work.
Personally, it looks like:
- Early mornings with dew on the fields and coffee steaming in a Yeti cup.
- Cutoff jeans, dusty boots and tan lines from hours in the sun.
- Quiet, golden sunsets after long, labor-heavy days — and a satisfaction that city summers just don't offer.
It's about living a little slower, working a little harder and feeling a whole lot more connected to what matters.
How do you think social media is shaping the way people see farm life or rural living?
Social media is massively reshaping how people perceive farm life and rural living.
By romanticizing the rural lifestyle, platforms like Instagram and TikTok have popularized the ‘aesthetic' of farm life — think slow mornings, tractor rides, sunsets over fields of gold. It's drawing people into appreciating a simpler, more grounded way of living.
Visibility and connection. Farmers, especially women and younger people, are sharing real stories and daily routines, creating communities and challenging outdated stereotypes (like the idea that farming is only for older men or men in general).
And through education and awareness, audiences get to see how food is grown, the labor involved and the realities of sustainable or ethical agriculture. It helps bridge the urban-rural disconnect.
What message or feeling are you trying to share when you post with #FarmGirlSummer?
When I post with #FarmGirlSummer, the message I'm trying to share is a blend of realness and reverence — a celebration of resilience, connection to the land and the gritty joy that comes from a life rooted in tradition.
Here's what I hope comes across:
Grounded joy: Not everything is picture-perfect — there's sweat, dirt and sometimes hard days — but there's real joy in that. A joy that comes from doing something meaningful with your hands and heart.
Empowerment: #FarmGirlSummer isn't about being delicate or curated — it's about being strong, capable and unafraid to show up exactly as you are, whether you're driving tractors or making homemade jam. It's femininity without fragility.
Simplicity with soul: It's about slow mornings, honest work and choosing presence over polish. It's a lifestyle, not a filter.
Authenticity over aesthetic: Even if the photos are pretty, the message is: This is real. Real effort. Real life. Real beauty in the mess and the mud and the moments between.
In short, it's not just “look at this cute farm outfit,” it's “here's what it means to live close to the earth, close to the truth and be dang proud of it.”
Follow Erica on TikTok (thecodebluefarmher)
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Anne Sneller, Ag Advocate
Anne Sneller lives in Earlham, Iowa. She works as a fraud and claims operations senior manager for Wells Fargo, leads a 4-H club of 75 members called Penn Prize Winners, and is also active supporting FFA, from mentoring members to judging contests at State FFA. Her husband, John, and she have an 11-year-old son who shows pigs and goats.
The Packer: What does #FarmGirlSummer mean to you personally?
Sneller: #FarmGirlSummer to me is helping my son with his show livestock, running on the pavement and gravel roads of Madison County, enjoying the agriculture, helping on my family's cattle and row crop farm, and fishing and four-wheeling with my son any chance we get.
I am passionate about advocating for agriculture and the opportunities 4-H and FFA offer youth and the skills they can learn from participating.
Follow Anne on TikTok (chasingthatrunnershigh)
Topanga Dailey, Farmer
Topanga Dailey is a senior digital marketing specialist. At home, you'll find her raising her 8-month-old son Owen while helping her husband farm wheat, soybeans and milo in McPherson, Kans.
The Packer: What does #FarmGirlSummer mean to you personally?
Dailey: To me, #FarmGirlSummer is a conscious choice to be more in touch with the real world — making things from scratch, getting soil under your fingernails, embracing natural materials, wearing less makeup, stepping away from screens and reconnecting with what real work looks and feels like. Life can feel stressful, exhausting and even scary when you're glued to a computer all day. The farm reminds you that life moves in seasons — some good, some hard — and that things take time and nothing is permanent.
How do you think social media is shaping the way people see farm life or rural living?
Social media has helped romanticize the farm. #FarmGirlSummer is one of the latest “vibes” people are chasing — a form of escapism and a search for meaning in what can feel like an overwhelming world. Now, people can see farms and rural life right from their phones and reframe what was once seen as an undesirable lifestyle into something idyllic — especially for those feeling overstimulated by city life. Rural living is naturally beautiful and social media has made it easier than ever to show just how special it is.
What message or feeling are you trying to share when you post with #FarmGirlSummer?
It's a reminder — to myself, my family and my community — that life is bigger than your feed. It's proof that I've stepped away from the trap of constant scrolling and hopefully encourages others to slow down, take a breath and enjoy the moment. Farm life offers that shift in perspective perfectly.
Follow Topanga on Instagram (reallifetopangadailey).
