By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — It began as a lark. Then, it caught fire.
The Peterson Farm Brothers might just be farm kids from central Kansas, but they have become social media sensations with their farm-based parodies of popular songs drawing millions of views.
Greg Peterson, a Kansas State University communications graduate, says these videos might seem light-hearted, but they have a serious mission.
“Well, it’s kind of two-fold,” Peterson tells KFEQ Ag Director Dionne Bertling. “Reaching people outside of agriculture and hoping to make a difference there, but also hopefully providing some inspiration for younger kids who want to be farmers some day; anyone who’s in agriculture who our videos give them a sense of pride in what they do.”
Greg and his brother, Nathan, spoke recently to a large crowd at the 18th Annual Farm City Breakfast in St. Joseph.
Nathan Peterson says he’s been shocked and pleased by the success of the videos.
“Seeing other people enjoy the finished product and seeing some of the comments,” Nathan Peterson says has been the highlight for him. “(Comments) like, I’ve seen more farming in this video than I’ve have my whole life or something like that; seeing them actually make a difference and seeing kids really enjoy them, kids really into farming, because they can go to YouTube and watch all sorts of different farmers.”
The Peterson Brothers parody of Katie Perry’s Roar, called Chore, has been seen by more than five million YouTube viewers. Their parody of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck, called Tractor Struck, has nearly four million views.
Greg Peterson says it does take time to produce the videos.
“Obviously, it varies quite a bit depending on the complexity of the video,” according to Peterson. “Anywhere from a week to a month, I guess. We don’t spend full days on the videos.”
That’s because their main job is farming and raising cattle in central Kansas between Salina and McPherson, where they call Lindsborg and Assaria, Kansas. They are 5th generation farmers who have become famous, thanks to music video parodies.
Click here for the Peterson Farm Brothers YouTube page.