For the past two years Gov. Terry Branstad has proclaimed the first full week in November, Farmer Wave Week in Iowa.
Farmer Wave Week is the idea of Todd Collins. Todd is the general manager of Iowa’s Best Country, KIX 101.1, News Talk 1230 KFJB and the PA announcer of Iowa Speedway in Newton.
Collins grew up on a farm in Carroll, seeing the Farmer Wave was an everyday occurrence. “Not to see someone Farmer Wave back at you seemed weird. Everyone would wave to everyone,” Collins said. After years of living in Wisconsin, he noticed that only in Iowa did he see the Farmer Wave on a regular basis and over the years has thought about making it Farmer Wave Week and in 2014 year he did just that.
The last two year’s Farmer Wave Week garnered the proclamation signing from Governor Terry Branstad as well as television, radio, magazine and newspaper coverage in Iowa. The 2014 video explained what Farmer Wave Week was about and it went viral with more than 400,000 views and more than 11,000 shares on Facebook. You can see the 2015 Farmer Wave video by going to https://goo.gl/9TDXnz.
This year’s Farmer Wave Week video was released Nov. 2. Collins filmed the entire video while combining corn on his brother’s farm in Carroll. “This year, it’s all about your farmer wave.”
He is encouraging fans of Farmer Wave Week to video or take pictures of their Farmer Waves and send them to @farmerwaveweek on Twitter or send them to Iowa’s Best Country KIX 101.1’s Facebook page.
The Farmer Wave can be done many ways; it may include one or two fingers lifted off the steering wheel, a low hand raised outside their truck window, a head nod, etc. ”It takes no money and no time to do a Farmer Wave, just wave at the person driving past you” Todd says. “You would be amazed at what a simple Farmer Wave can do to make someone’s day.”