The Farmer Wave

If you’re from Iowa and don’t know what this is you must have grown up in one of our “Big Cities” like Des Moines, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, or Iowa City. Otherwise, I am going to assume your upbringing included The Farmer Wave in some form. In my youth, even our “Town Kids” who grew up in the big city of Grinnell knew and took part in The Farmer Wave. It was ingrained in us farm kids so much we thought everyone did it. When I moved to Iowa City and discovered not everyone waves, I was shocked.

So what is The Farmer Wave?

The Farmer Wave is slight acknowledgement of an oncoming driver when you meet and pass each other. Seems simple enough, but there’s a lot more to it than you might think. There are many variations to the actual technique of The Farmer Wave as well as many different meanings.

The first and most basic meaning is: Hey there, hello, good to see you. It’s a form of sign language and a greeting to simply be nice to a fellow human who is sharing the road of life with you. But it can mean more than just a hey howdy. It can provide a real feeling of kinship. Sort of a hey friend, we’re in this together attitude, or call me if you need anything bud, I’m here for you anytime anywhere.

The Farmer Wave provides a feeling of partnership that simply brightens your day in a world full of anger, doubt, and skepticism it says I trust you and you’re a good person. Thanks for waving back.

The Farmer Wave is a tradition passed down for generations. I watched my grandpa do it. He was highly skilled in The Farmer Wave as he actually was a farmer. He employed the one finger technique, which I’ll get to in a minute. He was stoic and motionless as he passed a neighbor or stranger, simply lifting his one left finger. He remained frozen like a man at an auction waiting till just the right moment to flick his one finger up and buy a pen of hogs! I always smiled as the other car greeted us back with their own variation of The Farmer Wave.

Giving and receiving The Farmer Wave is sort of like being a member of a secret club of friendship. Two simple hand gestures provide a bond that means I’ve got your back friend.

I have discovered there are other hand gestures that elicit a less warm emotion. One time we were riding in our vehicle with the kids in back and a car swerved into our lane and then at the last minute swerved back just in the nick of time to not have a head on collision. My wife, from her passenger seat, gave that driver a two fingered salute, a gesture using both hands and just one upraised finger on each like a double-barreled message! I think they got the message! Our kids in the back sure did! She’s from Carroll, Iowa and I don’t know if it was something from her upbringing or a western Iowa thing, but the double-barreled finger was a first for me. However, it did seem an appropriate response at the time.

Back to The Farmer Wave. There are many ways to express your individualism with your farmer wave. As I mentioned, my grandpa used the one finger flick with either the thumb down or thumb up. Really, any of the flicks can be done with the thumb still down under the steering wheel or raising the thumb up and including it in the flick.

Once you decide if you prefer thumb down or up, from there you can simply add as many fingers as you like. The two finger flick is probably the most popular as it is easy to do quickly and it kinda looks like a peace sign.

Then there is the three finger flick. This is almost never used as it is difficult to flick three fingers without giving yourself a cramp in the back of your hand! Every time I’ve tried it my little finger won’t cooperate and it turns into a four finger wave. If you use the three finger method, you are pretty special.

The four finger is pretty popular because it’s easy to simply raise all four of your fingers from the steering wheel and gently wave. It’s also easy for the person in the other vehicle to see, thus ensuring they get your message of hey there, how’s your day going?

Some folks go so far as the full five finger wave. Since, you are using all five fingers in this wave, it requires driving with your wrist or knee, so it is frowned upon by drivers ed teachers statewide, but it does show a real commitment to the wave and it’s principles.

A nice variation to keep in your back pocket is the extreme finger point method. With this technique you usually smile big and share eye contact with the person in the other vehicle. This is usually reserved for drinking buddies or maybe your brother or anyone of close friendship. The point means more than a flick. It could mean, I’ll see you later at the pub or glad to see you’re still alive after what happened last time we were together. The point is a deeper connection of brotherhood/sisterhood.

There is one technique that is commonly used if you are almost past the other car and time is too short to get any fingers up. It’s the head nod. It can go up or down and it only need move an inch or two to be adequate. I prefer the head nod up myself and it is a great option in a pinch, but can be utilized as your day to day wave if you prefer or if you drive with your hands on the steering wheel at 10 and 2 which would make all the hand gestures nearly impossible.

What to do if you see the person in the other car do their Farmer Wave, but your vehicle was passed by too quickly for even the head nod to be implemented? Simply, raise your right hand straight up so that the other driver will see your wave in their rear view mirror as they look back wondering why you didn’t wave and they’ll know you are alright and things are good.

If you grew up in town or just somehow missed out on The Farmer Wave, please let this article be an invitation to join us in a tried and true mainstay of country life. Try a couple techniques until you find the one that fits you best and then simply start waving away. Wave at people you know. Try that finger point for your real good friends! Wave at people you don’t know and spread the niceness that is Iowa.

Heck, Iowa is known for its wave! Even people outside of Iowa like The Wave when thousands of college football fans and players join in the wave to the kids and families struggling with something at the University of Iowa Staed Family Children’s Hospital at the end of the first quarter of Hawkeye games. That simple wave to those sick kids is something that the Farmers Wave has been perpetuating for years. I see you. I love you neighbor. Hey there human, hope all is well for you.

Give it a try. Brighten someone’s day with a flick of the wrist or a twitch of a finger. I guarantee it will brighten your day.