Part of a special section on qualitative sociology in rural studies. The writers discuss the social construction of agricultural masculinity and its role in the transition to sustainable farming. They draw on a participatory qualitative study comparing members of a sustainable farmer group, Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), with their non-PFI farming neighbors. Their findings reveal that non-PFI farmers are more likely to display monologic masculinity, that is, having conventional, rigid and, polarized gender expectations; conversely, PFI farmers display dialogic masculinity, that is, having different measures for work and success, less need to control nature, and greater social openness. They conclude that although both masculinities are present in all participants, acceptance of a more dialogic masculinity promotes transition to sustainable agriculture.