Today is Farmers Day (also known as Old Farmers Day), an annual occasion for the celebration of the United States’ rich history as a nation of agricultural producers. Now, as the country’s relationship to that agrarian past continues to evolve–with urban and organic farming renewing interest in an industry dominated by multinational corporations–we can take some valuable lessons from these 15 Famous Farmers in Film.

Maximus (Russell Crowe) in Gladiator (2000)

You may recall that in frequent flashbacks to his Spanish villa, the Roman general always thought of himself as a family man and a farmer.

Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) in The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Just about every screen farmer is faced with some really trying times, but Joad’s were perhaps the harshest, selling up the family’s land and moving West during the Great Depression.

Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)

As you may remember, before joining the great intergalactic battle Luke was a simple Tatooine (read, Midwestern) farmboy, helping his dad out with crops and drones.

The Farmer (Sam Shepard) in Days of Heaven (1978)

The powerful farmer in this beautiful love triangle is a handsomely young Sam Shepard, living in a picturesque home looking out over his acres and acres of farmland.

Olmo Dalcò (Gérard Depardieu) in 1900 (1976)

Two buddies in early 20th century Italy, with Depardieu as the poor, orphan farmer and Robert DeNiro as the landed aristocrat.

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) in Field of Dreams (1989)

Perhaps a visionary bit of 80s cinema, about the shift in America’s economy from one based on the trading of goods (farming) to one based on the trading of services and information. In this case, a farmer’s field becomes a baseball field.

Ida Carmody (Deborah Kerr) in The Sundowners (1960)

Paddy Ivy (Robert Mitchum) wants to keep his family of sheep herders on the move, but momma Ivy wants to start a farm.

Farmer Arthur Hoggett (James Cromwell) in Babe (1995)

Pretty much the sweetest film farmer there ever was.

Burglekutt (Mark Northover) in Willow (1988)

As the name sort of implies, Burglekutt is pretty much the biggest jerk of a film farmer ever.

Alvin (Richard Farnsworth) in The Straight Story (1999)

David Lynch’s gentlest film also features one of his most heartfelt characters in Farnsworth’s warm farmer, who takes his tractor on a long-haul trip to visit his dying brother.

Miranda Wells (Gene Tierney) in Dragonwyck (1946)

She’s just a simple Connecticut farm girl, sent off to work for wealthy relatives in the Hudson Valley.

Linus Rawlings (James Stewart) in How the West Was Won (1962)

Billed as the star of John Ford’s massive multi-generational Western movie epic, Stewart’s Linus was a fine farmer and noble frontiersman, but proved not to be the best soldier.

Jewell Ivy (Jessica Lange) in Country (1984)

Though Gil Ivy (Sam Shepard, The Farmer of Days of Heaven, above) all but throws in the towel, his wife (Lange) proves the more resilient and resourceful farmer.

Tom Garvey (Mel Gibson) in The River (1984)

A little overwrought, but an interesting entry in the American farmer movie genre for its relatively contemporary setting and agribusiness baddies.

Rev. Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) in Signs (2002)

Though he lost faith in god, he never lost faith in farming. That is, until aliens crushed half his cornfield to make crop circles. And really, extraterrestrials are a much simpler foe for a farmer than an overflowing river.