Online Dating Magazine > Interviews > Jerry Miller

Online Dating Magazine Interview with Jerry Miller, Founder of FarmersOnly.com

There are hundreds of niche sites online and Jerry Miller is the founder of one growing in popularity with country folk - FarmersOnly.com. Miller has been married for 28 years and has three children. He's turning his success into success for farmers and country folk looking for love. In addition to his work with FarmersOnly.com, Miller is a partner in an advertising and public relations firm in Cleveland, Ohio.

On FarmersOnly.com, Miller speaks the need for a niche site targeting farmers:

"I truly feel there is more of a need for this matchmaking site than any other singles site on the web. You see, as owner of a company that works with thousands of farms and ranches across the country, I've met a number of single farmers of all different ages with one thing in common--they were all having a difficult time finding someone special. Why? Let's face it, how many new people do you meet working on the farm all day?"

Online Dating Magazine publisher Joe Tracy recently caught up with Miller to learn more about FarmersOnly.com.

ODM: Thank you for agreeing to share some insight to our tens of thousands of readers, Jerry. It’s obvious what your niche online dating service is for from the name – FarmersOnly.com. My first question is, are there really that many farmers?

Jerry Miller: There are roughly one million farms in the United States alone, but the number is decreasing every year. Small family farms have 2-3 farmers, while the large, commercial farms employ 25-100 farm or ranch hands.

ODM: What was the inspiration behind starting FarmersOnly.com?

Jerry Miller: Through my company, I work with over 4,000 farms and ranches across the country. One farmer, who I’d become good friends with, called me to tell me of her growing frustrations.

Recently divorced, she told me how difficult it was to meet someone new.

“I’m ready to give up!” She said. “How am I going to meet someone working on a farm all day? I already know everybody who lives around here… which isn’t many people! Maybe I’ll try online dating.”

A month later, I called her to ask how her luck was with online dating. She replied, even more frustrated, “The men who have been contacting me don’t understand the lifestyle of a farmer,” she told me. “They don’t have a clue!” Thus came the site’s slogan… “City Folks Just Don’t Get It!”

I started doing some internet searches and couldn’t find one national dating site truly designed for farmers. The need for this new online dating service became very clear and six months later, I launched FarmersOnly.com.

ODM: How long have you been running FarmersOnly.com and how big is the service and the staff?

Jerry Miller: FarmersOnly.com made its debut in May of 2005. Currently, 3 full time and 11 part time staff run the site, which now has about 30,000 members.

ODM: Do you find that farmers and country folk are a bit more hesitant to try online dating than city folk?

Jerry Miller: I’ve talked to literally hundreds of members on the phone and read thousands of emails from members who said they’ve never tried online dating before. But those who said they have tried other dating sites were very excited to finally have a place where everyone can relate to their lifestyle. So maybe a lot of these members were hesitant to try online dating because there wasn’t a website designed specifically for them.

ODM: Is there ever any cross interest in FarmersOnly.com. For example, do some "city folk" sign up because they want to date a farmer?

Jerry Miller: Yes, roughly 10% of our members live in major cities, but have always dreamed of living in the country. We call these “Farmer Wannabes”. As we say, you don’t have to be a farmer to join FarmersOnly.com. But, you do have to respect and cherish the rural lifestyle.

ODM: FarmersOnly.com has received a lot of publicity; The Today Show, National Public Radio, magazines, newspapers and even The National Enquirer. What was The National Enquirer’s interest in FarmersOnly.com?

Jerry Miller: The National Enquirer heard about our site and thought it was a unique and perfect fit since a large part of their readership reside in rural areas.

ODM: So then the story wasn't about aliens from outer space using your service to expand into the farmlands?

Jerry Miller: No, as a matter of fact, it turned out to be one of the best-written stories to date about FarmersOnly.com. They gave an overview on how the site started and the need for a site specializing in agriculture and rural living. The story included interviews with members, including a couple that met on the site and the successful relationship that has resulted. My favorite quote from this story is from a country girl who said she wanted to avoid city boys who didn’t know the difference between a John Deere and a reindeer.

ODM: What is the biggest challenge you face daily in running your service?

Jerry Miller: Approving the hundreds, sometimes thousands, of new profiles and revisions that come in every day is the most challenging.

ODM: Give us a little more insight into your creative slogan - "City Folks Just Don't Get It".

Jerry Miller: You can almost substitute the words “Don’t Get It” with “Don’t Understand or Can’t Relate to the Lifestyle of a Farmer”. Most city folks work 9a.m.-5p.m., Monday through Friday, while farmers work 5a.m.-9p.m., Monday through Sunday. One dairy farmer I spoke to hasn’t taken a day off in 10 years!

In the city, there may be 100 entertainment choices within a 10 mile radius (restaurants, night clubs, theaters, coffee shops). In the country, there may not even be 100 people in a 10 mile radius!

ODM: I’ve seen your TV commercial on your Website, which I love. Where do you run it and how successful has it been for you?

Jerry Miller: We are currently in the process of testing a number of different cable lifestyle networks and times to run the commercial.

ODM: And finally, if someone reading this is a farmer, rancher, or “country folk” why should they select FarmersOnly.com over a large general online dating service like Match.com, eHarmony, or Yahoo! Personals?

Jerry Miller: Our members have answered this question in the hundreds of emails I’ve received saying something like, “I’ve tried other online dating sites, but finally there is one where everyone relates to each other!”

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