Farmer grew up in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where he graduated from Northeastern State University. He later received his PhD in Political Science from the University of Oklahoma. He and his wife Marjean moved to Ohio where he taught at the University of Akron. Returning to Oklahoma he served the State of Oklahoma as Director of Committee Staff at the House of Representatives; Deputy Insurance Commissioner; and Director of the Oklahoma Worker's Compensation Commission. While working full time in government, Rick continued to teach and write. He has served as president of the Oklahoma Political Science Association and currently is the chairman of the American Political Science Association's Practical Politics Working Group. He has appeared on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, CSpan, and BBC radio and various local news outlets.