You 'grow' guys!

published July 5, 2012

in the Stockton Sentinel

Stockton, Kansas

Every week I get the task of perusing the area newspapers in search of interesting stories to clip into our Kansas Klips column. It is either feast or famine–some weeks there are a lot of interesting stories to glean, sometimes nothing. This week was one of those feast weeks when I ended up with a plethora of news clips. So many, in fact, that I have a good start on next week’s column, just in case it turns out to be a week of news starvation.

I especially enjoyed following the story last week of the Peterson brothers from Lindsborg who condensed several hours of video of life on their family farm into a three-and-a-half minute music video. Their video, entitled “I’m Farming and I Grow It” is a parody on the song by the music group LMFAO, “I’m Sexy and I Know It,” and in less than one week, it made them some of the most famous farm boys in the nation.  

Greg, a K-State student and the oldest of the three brothers, was the one who came up with the idea and wrote the alternate words to the original party song that he can’t stand. After convincing his brothers to record the song, they got help from their mom and 11-year-old sister to shoot video clips to go along with it. Filming began during harvest, and then included cattle feeding and many other jobs around the farm. Even though everyone was working 15-hour days, Greg would crank his brothers up early to shoot more video clips. Nathan, 18, and Kendal, 15, were tired and mad at him, and “they thought I was stupid,” he said, in an interview with The Wichita Eagle. Perhaps by now they’ve apologized to their talented, older brother.

After finishing the filming last Sunday, June 24, Greg posted it to YouTube on Monday morning. Within 24 hours, their music video went viral, and they became an overnight internet sensation. By Wednesday night, the video had been watched more than 400,000 times, and by Thursday afternoon, the three brothers and their dad were jetting off to New York City, courtesy of Fox News, to appear live on Fox & Friends Friday morning. Since the show, their YouTube video has been viewed more than 2,243,000 times. Their Facebook page, which they didn’t even have until Tuesday, the 26th, already has well over 7,000 “Likes.”

These Kansas farm boys are a class act. Obviously they love what they are doing as farmers and cattle producers. They appreciate the opportunity they have to work together—three brothers, fulfilling their childhood dream to work with their dad on the farm. They understand the value of agriculture and the importance of their vocation. But most importantly, they give all the credit to God.

As Greg said, as he and his brothers sat in that television studio on Times Square in New York City, and in many published news stories and interviews, they don’t deserve all this fame. “We’re just thankful,” he said, “and we realize God is the one who gives us breath every morning. People take that for granted and don’t give credit where credit is due.” He said it’s the same way with agriculture—people are constantly eating food to survive, and they don’t think about where it comes from. 

Peterson Farm Bros, we join the applause for your creativity and your mission to promote agriculture. No doubt, your parents are proud of you, but you’ve also made K-State and the whole state of Kansas proud of you, too. And when you use your God-given talents and publicly give God the glory in return, He is most assuredly smiling down upon you.

If you are one of the few who have not yet seen the video, “I’m Farming and I Grow It,” go to youtube.com and search for it by its title. Check out more of their videos by searching “ThePetersonFarmBros” (all one word) on YouTube.