CENTER — Potato and barley farmer Brandon Rogers recently spoke candidly about his experience on the reality dating series “Farmer Wants A Wife.”

Rogers, 29, is one of four farmers that is on season 2 of the Fox show that airs Thursday nights. The four farmers, looking for the loves of their lives, were selected from across the United States. Each farmer selects five women from a pool of 29 to come live with them on their farm. This gives the ladies a full taste of what it takes to be a farmer's wife.

Rogers, who operates a 1,000-acre farm in Center. He said he started farming in 2014 and is proudly carrying on the family tradition of farming — his mom and dad are both farmers.

“I am a sarcastic person. I like joking,” he said. “I pride myself on being a big part of everything with my family and friends. I enjoy the outdoors. I am an avid fisherman, and I like to hunt. I like to be involved in the community. I am the vice president of the Ski-Hi Stampede. I serve on the Monte Vista Noxious Weed Board. I like being part of this community and I am proud of where I am from.”

Rogers said his stepsister, who lives in Los Angeles and is “kind of in the industry, she does commercials and different things” was the person who said he should apply to be on show.

“She called me up and said, ‘Hey there’s a new show coming out and I think you should sign up for it,’” Rogers recalled.

“I was skeptical at first and I asked her OK what is it. She said, ‘it’s called ‘Farmer Wants A Wife,’ and I know how dating is in the Valley and a small town. I told her I don’t know I am busy I don’t know if I want to be on TV and do all of that. She said, ‘just fill out the application.’ So, I filled out the application to please my stepsister,” he said with a chuckle.

About two months later production from Los Angeles started calling and “got the ball rolling. So, that’s how it all started,” he said.

Rogers said he was surprised to get the call. When he saw the call coming in from Los Angeles, he thought it might be his stepsister calling from a different number.

“It ended up being casting producers. They said they had looked at my social media and wanted to hop on Zoom to see if I looked like my social media representation, and that’s when it all really started,” he said.

Rogers said filming started in September at his farm in Center. He received confirmation around Sept. 15 that he got the part, and around Sept. 25, they showed up to start filming.

“They had me filling out paperwork and stayed connected with me the whole time, but when I got the confirmation on the 15th, that’s when it made it all real,” he said.

Rogers had never been on camera before. He felt that the crew represented him well and documented his family in a genuine way.

“They really showed what’s it’s like to be in a small town on a farm, to be a part of the San Luis Valley,” he said. “A little nerves at the beginning, yes, but around week three of filming, I settled in and felt comfortable with everything.”

Rogers said that meeting the women on TV for the first time was the most intense first date he had ever experienced.

“Essentially for the show, the ladies got a 1-minute video clip of me, and I got one picture and like 5 to 7 sentences about the women that I chose from,” he said.

Rogers said as they walked up on camera that it was the first time they met.

“It’s an intense situation,” Rogers said. “You meet someone you have never met on camera, and you have 10 minutes to decide if this is someone that you want to get to know more. It’s a different animal for sure.”

Rogers said that he met eight women at the first mixer and had to reduce that to five women and ask those five women to come experience life on the farm.

Rogers said that all through the filming, he had a great experience. He would recommend other farmers try it.

“I enjoyed it. I felt like it was great networking. I met a lot of great people,” he said. “The women were all very sweet. I would say if you're not too shy, fill out the application. It’s a great experience.”

Rogers considers himself an “open book.”

“This is who I was before the show, and I am the same person after,” he said. “I feel like the best part of the show for me was I did no acting at all. What you see is my true, authentic self. I went up there with an open mind and open heart. I tried to make the best of the entire experience and I enjoyed it all.”

Rogers said that there are many beautiful women in the San Luis Valley but dating in the Valley is hard.

“A lot of the theory behind what I was doing on the show was looking for someone who would want to be on farm with me,” he said. “I am not looking for a housewife or a farm wife, but I do think that it takes a special person to realize what farmers do on a farm, how demanding their jobs really are.”

Rogers said that part of the show that interested him was that there were women who were there who would understand the sacrifices of the farm work.

“This was an influential part in me joining the show,” Rogers said. “There is nothing like farming all year, and at the end of the season seeing the fruits of all your labor come to life. It's important to me to find someone to share that with, too.”

Rogers said he could not reveal whether he found love on the show.

“You will just have to keep watching,” he said. “What I can tell everyone is I am very happy with the outcome of the show. It was a great experience.”