In reply to:
10 gallon hats", they are not the norm. and the guys you do see with them on, are probably real farmers, or ranchers, or cowboys, and a large brimmed hat serves a functional purpose for them in their daily activities.
Strangely, farmers and ranchers here wear one of two hats... the winter toque (that's knit cap or beanie for the Americans) and the cap (young pups pay $50 for leather ones with their favorite toy of choice on them - older guys have a closet full of mesh-back ones they get free when the Round-Up guy comes by with a delivery).
To get this even further off topic. I grew up in the inner city... the place where even squirrels don't come by anymore and the trees are planted equidistantly by the city on the boulevard.
My first farm trip 9 years ago was an eye-opener, I'd never been that close to an animal that wasn't a pet... biggest vehicle I'd ever been in was a 3-ton GMC Topkick.
And now, I can push around anything with wheels there, I milk (at least the evening milkings - 4:30am is bedtime, not wake-up time) and I've welded at least one thing on every piece of equipment there.
They made a convert.
Bren R.
