diff --git a/scalding-date/src/main/scala/com/twitter/scalding/RichDate.scala b/scalding-date/src/main/scala/com/twitter/scalding/RichDate.scala
index 16efc497c4..6aab75a071 100644
--- a/scalding-date/src/main/scala/com/twitter/scalding/RichDate.scala
+++ b/scalding-date/src/main/scala/com/twitter/scalding/RichDate.scala
@@ -96,6 +96,9 @@ case class RichDate(val timestamp: Long) extends Ordered[RichDate] {
       case _ => false
     }
 
+  def before(that: RichDate): Boolean = compare(that) < 0
+  def after(that: RichDate): Boolean = compare(that) > 0
+
   /**
    * Use String.format to format the date, as opposed to toString, which uses SimpleDateFormat.
    */
diff --git a/scalding-date/src/test/scala/com/twitter/scalding/DateTest.scala b/scalding-date/src/test/scala/com/twitter/scalding/DateTest.scala
index cc0157ede7..9177d3a003 100644
--- a/scalding-date/src/test/scala/com/twitter/scalding/DateTest.scala
+++ b/scalding-date/src/test/scala/com/twitter/scalding/DateTest.scala
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ package com.twitter.scalding
 
 import org.scalatest.WordSpec
 import java.util.Calendar
+import java.util.TimeZone
 
 class DateTest extends WordSpec {
   implicit val tz = DateOps.PACIFIC
@@ -97,6 +98,12 @@ class DateTest extends WordSpec {
       assert(rd1 >= rd1)
       assert(rd2 >= rd2)
     }
+    "be able to compare with before() and after() with TimeZone in context" in {
+      implicit val tz: TimeZone = TimeZone.getDefault
+      val rd1: RichDate = "2011-01-01"
+      val rd2: RichDate = "2012-01-01"
+      assert(rd1.before(rd2))
+    }
     "implicitly convert from long" in {
       // This kind of implicit is not safe (what does the long mean?)
       implicit def longToDate(l: Long): RichDate = RichDate(l)