FARMER'S WIFE, THE {PART 3 OF 3} {TAPE 2 OF 2} (TV)
Summary
Continued from T:64059. Tape two of two. Part three of three in this cinéma vérité portrait of Juanita and Darrel Buschkoetter, a Nebraska couple struggling to save their farm and their marriage. Part three begins in the spring of 1996 and runs through the summer of 1997: the couple emerges out of the worst of their financial crisis, but their marriage teeters on the brink of collapse before the series draws to a close. As part three continues, Whitney attends her first day of kindergarten, and Juanita sets off for school with the help of a Pell Grant and with hopes of completing her degree by May of the following year. Although the crops continue to look good, the marriage is on the verge of collapse and feeling the strain from both extended families. Juanita's mother, Kathy Plas, a divorced woman, thinks that Juanita should consider her options, while her sister, Brenda Hofstetter, claims that the family has nothing against Darrel except that he doesn't let Juanita do anything with her life.
On Darrel's side of the family, father LeRoy refuses to acknowledge his son's hard work on the farm, crediting the bumper crop to good weather. The couple go through a particularly dark period around Christmas 1996 with Darrel's temper overwhelming Juanita. For the first time, Juanita acknowledges that the couple's marital problems are more likely to cause the collapse of the family than the financial ones. By March 1997, Juanita is forced to give Darrel an ultimatum; a compromise is reached, and Darrel agrees to get counseling. In addition, Juanita begins working off the farm for a crop insurance company while Darrel stays on the farm, assuming many of the domestic responsibilities with the children and the home. Although Darrel's father is critical of the new arrangement, it appears to work. The couple's financial woes ease and they are able to pay off their creditors. In May, Juanita completes her associate's degree, and her family attends the graduation ceremony. As Juanita celebrates her thirtieth birthday in June, the Buschkoetter's see more improvements as they are able to buy some nice used furniture and begin to paint the house.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2003.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: September 23, 1998 10:05 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:14:18
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:64060
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Agriculture -- United States - Nebraska; Biography
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1998
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Fanning … Senior Executive Producer
- James Yee … Executive Producer
- Michael Sullivan … Executive Producer
- Robin Parmelee … Coordinating Producer
- Sharon Tiller … Senior Producer
- David Sutherland … Producer, Director, Writer
- Nancy Sutherland … Co-Producer
- Lisa Olivieri … Associate Producer
- Cheryl Motta Couto … Post-Production Producer
- June Cross … Staff Producer
- J. Byron Smith … Sound
- Reeves Gabrels … Music by
- Mason Daring … Music (Misc. Credits), Series music
- Martin Brody … Music (Misc. Credits), Series music
- Darrel Buschkoetter
- Juanita Buschkoetter
- LeRoy Buschkoetter
- Whitney Buschkoetter
- Brenda Hofstetter
- Kathy Plas