A series of popular videos has put farming right in the social media spotlight. Catch the makers of these videos, the three Peterson brothers, at Agritechnica 2013. Every edition of Agritechnica draws forward looking business farmers looking out for new technologies and farming methods that enable more efficient production, higher yields and benefits for the environment. Marry this typical down-to-earth pragmatism of farming with creative talent and social media savvy and what you would get are the Peterson brothers. 

Greg, Nathan and Kendal Peterson are three brothers from Kansas who have made headwaves with their videos choreographed and shot on their 1,000-acre family farm, which they work on together with their parents and youngest sister. Their Youtube channel, “The Peterson Farm Bros,” shows the brothers camping it up for their own catchy renditions of popular music hits, all on the theme of agriculture. Their first parody video “I'm farming and I grow it,” launched a year ago, garnered over 6 million views on Youtube just weeks after release. “Farmer Style,” a remake based on the global chart hit from South Korea, “Gangnam Style,” went viral after its release in December last year, with over 13 million views to date.

While the music videos show the Peterson brothers clearly having fun on the farm, their other videos capture slices of farm life and work realities. Nine informational videos document the range of farm work and mechanical equipment required for straw baling, cattle feeding, planting, forage and wheat harvesting and manure application, amongst others. Another five videos from their “Life on the Farm” series show the Peterson family at work each month on seasonal farm activities carried out from January to May.

Since their “farm fame,” the brothers have had the opportunity to showcase the realities and challenges of agriculture, a field which they are clearly passionate about. They have also put together a video with the support of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, and have been invited to live performances around the U.S. 

Coming to Agritechnica

Together with their father, two of the three brothers, Greg and Nathan, will make a trip to Hanover this November for Agritechnica 2013. This visit to Agritechnica, on the invitation of the DLG, will be their first invitation outside of their home country. The Peterson brothers will perform their popular farming hits at the DLG booth from November 11-15, and meet with other young farmers at the Young Farmer’s party on the 14th.

The Young Farmer’s event on November 14 will see the eldest brother, Greg, sharing his farming experiences at a podium discussion in cooperation with the Bund der Deutschen Landjugend (BDL), or German Federation of Rural Youth, and the European Council of Young farmers (CEJA).

Under the theme “Farming globally – Youth in agriculture around the world,” the event will see various youths, such as Greg, share their own homeland experiences on farming, the economic and policy issues that affect agriculture in their regions and their vision and strategies for the future. Each speaker will be given 5-10 minutes for their presentation, followed by floor discussions. The podium event will be held at the convention centre at the Hanover exhibition grounds, room 3.

About the Petersons

Greg, age 22, is the eldest and the creative talent behind the videos. A recent graduate from Kansas State University, Greg majors in Agricultural Communications and Journalism with a minor in Music Performance. Nathan, age 19, will be a sophomore at Kansas State University this autumn, majoring in Agriculture Technology Management. The youngest, Kendal, age 17, will be a senior at Southeast of Saline high school.