The 10 best YouTube channels for farmers
Reading time: 10 min
Farmers no longer look like silent harsh laborers who live in the fields. We have found 10 vlogs, which cover the widest range of topics.
Over 900k subscribers
Who: Zach Johnson is a fifth-generation farmer from Minnesota. Dispels myths about farming and food.
What: Zach wants to build a connection between farmers and consumers by facilitating a collaborative conversation among everyone. In his videos, he shows how the farm exists, how food grows, examines various farming practices and discusses hot topics right from his tractor cab. The most popular videos on the channel are devoted to agricultural machinery—there are a lot of reviews and training videos.
Why to watch: To know more about GMO and view a lot of good compilations on how to use equipment.
What: Zach wants to build a connection between farmers and consumers by facilitating a collaborative conversation among everyone. In his videos, he shows how the farm exists, how food grows, examines various farming practices and discusses hot topics right from his tractor cab. The most popular videos on the channel are devoted to agricultural machinery—there are a lot of reviews and training videos.
Why to watch: To know more about GMO and view a lot of good compilations on how to use equipment.
Philip Kondratenko
OneSoil agronomist
My favorite channel is 'MN Millenial Farmer'. I like that Zack shows a farmer's routine, from shovelling snow to more complex cases when fungicides did not work properly. Also, he does a lot of field operations with his children which is really cute. His work is his life. Zack also posts funny stories on Instagram and communicates a lot with other farmers. I have no idea how he finds time to shoot and to edit all this but I admire him!
Over 545k subscribers
Who: A third generation farmer, Bob Welker, along with his two sons, Nick and Scott, strive to carry on the family farm legacy. Welker Farms is located in North Central Montana and has been in the family since the homestead of 1912. They grow spring wheat, winter wheat, yellow peas and lentils.
What: The channel with the most epic farm videos. The brothers' review technology, show how to restore old tractors and take amazing photos of the fields.
Why to watch: To get inspired and learn how to take cool pics and videos about your farm—Nick gives instructions on how he does it.
What: The channel with the most epic farm videos. The brothers' review technology, show how to restore old tractors and take amazing photos of the fields.
Why to watch: To get inspired and learn how to take cool pics and videos about your farm—Nick gives instructions on how he does it.
Over 295k subscribers
Who: Ryan Custer is a 25-year-old farmer from Wisconsin. He posted his first videos in 2008.
What: One of the most popular farming channels. It showcases several beef and crop farms located in Southwestern Wisconsin. Equipment operation, techniques, daily activities, and farming strategies are all shown first-hand by Ryan.
Why to watch: To observe the daily working schedule on a 1,200 acre farm, and to watch Ryan teaching his girlfriend how to drive a tractor. You can also see how Ryan is emptying grain bins—1.8 million views, by the way.
What: One of the most popular farming channels. It showcases several beef and crop farms located in Southwestern Wisconsin. Equipment operation, techniques, daily activities, and farming strategies are all shown first-hand by Ryan.
Why to watch: To observe the daily working schedule on a 1,200 acre farm, and to watch Ryan teaching his girlfriend how to drive a tractor. You can also see how Ryan is emptying grain bins—1.8 million views, by the way.
Over 280k subscribers
Who: Three brothers from Kansas, fifth-generation farmers who will make you laugh a lot, talking and singing about their family farm.
What: Content on this channel ranges from informative videos and lifestyle blogs to musical parodies and entertainment stories. The brothers hope to give their viewers a complete picture of a real farm in the Midwest, where there is always time for hard physical work, humor and unexpected cover songs.
Why to watch: To see parodies of 'Sexy and I Know It' ('I'm Farming and I Grow It') or 'Gangnam Style' ('Farmer style'). The last video has 18 million views!
What: Content on this channel ranges from informative videos and lifestyle blogs to musical parodies and entertainment stories. The brothers hope to give their viewers a complete picture of a real farm in the Midwest, where there is always time for hard physical work, humor and unexpected cover songs.
Why to watch: To see parodies of 'Sexy and I Know It' ('I'm Farming and I Grow It') or 'Gangnam Style' ('Farmer style'). The last video has 18 million views!
Over 155k subscribers
Who: John Saskovich and his wife moved from New York to Western Connecticut for farming. They grow vegetables, hops, apples, spices, as well as rearing chickens, pigs and sheep.
What: According to John, he created the Farm Marketing Solutions channel to inspire the next generation of farmers. He teaches his audience not only how to harvest, but also how to make money from it. John turns farmers into businessmen and marketeers. The most popular video on his channel is "How to Start a Farm with No Money." After watching you may have a keen desire to make a business plan. By the way, the manual is on the channel.
Why to watch: For beginners—in order to deep dive into the topic; for experienced farmers—to learn more about the promotion and organization of business processes.
What: According to John, he created the Farm Marketing Solutions channel to inspire the next generation of farmers. He teaches his audience not only how to harvest, but also how to make money from it. John turns farmers into businessmen and marketeers. The most popular video on his channel is "How to Start a Farm with No Money." After watching you may have a keen desire to make a business plan. By the way, the manual is on the channel.
Why to watch: For beginners—in order to deep dive into the topic; for experienced farmers—to learn more about the promotion and organization of business processes.
Over 100k subscribers
Who: Anita and Nancy—two women who grew up on a farm and decided to take over the family business.
What: Men are the heroes of most farmers' channels, with their wives sometimes joining in. But here it is the opposite. Anita and Nancy drive tractors themselves, harvest themselves and sell products on farmers' markets themselves. And in between all that they cook, hang out with their children, host parties and enjoy communicating with their subscribers. The women describe their channel in 5 words: gardening, crafts, cooking and CRAZY kids.
Why to watch: To get inspired by these wonder women and find out the secret recipe of the perfect blueberry pie.
What: Men are the heroes of most farmers' channels, with their wives sometimes joining in. But here it is the opposite. Anita and Nancy drive tractors themselves, harvest themselves and sell products on farmers' markets themselves. And in between all that they cook, hang out with their children, host parties and enjoy communicating with their subscribers. The women describe their channel in 5 words: gardening, crafts, cooking and CRAZY kids.
Why to watch: To get inspired by these wonder women and find out the secret recipe of the perfect blueberry pie.
Olga Polevikova
OneSoil blog editor
I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of YouTube blogs, both English and Russian-speaking ones. It's great that anyone can watch what the life of a farmer is like. I adore the life story of John Saskovich (before becoming a farmer, he worked as a scene and a light designer on a television show in New York). Many blogs are visually very developed, like the ones of MN Millenial Farmer and Welker Farms Inc. I was particularly pleased with the blog called McCann's Farm. I find there is a lack of female blogs about farming practices, and one can find inspiration in Anita and Nancy.
Over 100k subscribers
Who: Funny farmer Olli from Norfolk, England.
What: A dynamic vlog about life of an English farm. The main focus is on tractors and other agricultural machinery. Olli talks about new models in detail and explains how to drive some of them. The most popular video on the channel is "A Day In The Life Of A Farmer", where Olli invites his subscribers to plunge into the world of his farm for 15 minutes and see from the first person what he does during the day.
Why to watch: To enjoy the British accent and different agricultural equipment.
What: A dynamic vlog about life of an English farm. The main focus is on tractors and other agricultural machinery. Olli talks about new models in detail and explains how to drive some of them. The most popular video on the channel is "A Day In The Life Of A Farmer", where Olli invites his subscribers to plunge into the world of his farm for 15 minutes and see from the first person what he does during the day.
Why to watch: To enjoy the British accent and different agricultural equipment.
Over 275k subscribers
Who: Hank and Gina—a sweet couple from northwestern Florida. Their channel is about love, livestock and tractors.
What: A nice family vlog about life on a Hamiltonville farm. Hank and Gina do everything with their own hands. They even converted an old hay barn into a fashionable farmhouse. They also talk about their daily life on the farm, share reviews of agricultural equipment, show their animals and best models of tractors and reveal the secrets of marriage.
Why to watch: There can't be too many videos about tractors and family life rules at the same time.
What: A nice family vlog about life on a Hamiltonville farm. Hank and Gina do everything with their own hands. They even converted an old hay barn into a fashionable farmhouse. They also talk about their daily life on the farm, share reviews of agricultural equipment, show their animals and best models of tractors and reveal the secrets of marriage.
Why to watch: There can't be too many videos about tractors and family life rules at the same time.
Over 59k subscribers
Who: Brian and Darren Hefty from Baltic, South Dakota. They run a family-owned farm which they operate as a huge test farm trying out new products, equipment, and techniques.
What: Ag PhD is about helping farmers improve their operations, produce more yields, and at the same time enhancing soil fertility and the environment. The videos Brian and Darren produce are divided into several parts: Farm Basics, Iron Talks, Weed Control, Seed&Planting, etc. In the weekly episodes, they discuss things like adding a drain tile to lower water tables, giving plants more oxygen, and soil sampling. As the co-hosts say, they mainly focus on those things farmers can really control and improve. Brian and Darren run the show on their own spending approximately four hours a week on producing the episodes.
Why to watch: To learn when is the best time for side-dressing corn and to get some tips on improving things on your farm.
What: Ag PhD is about helping farmers improve their operations, produce more yields, and at the same time enhancing soil fertility and the environment. The videos Brian and Darren produce are divided into several parts: Farm Basics, Iron Talks, Weed Control, Seed&Planting, etc. In the weekly episodes, they discuss things like adding a drain tile to lower water tables, giving plants more oxygen, and soil sampling. As the co-hosts say, they mainly focus on those things farmers can really control and improve. Brian and Darren run the show on their own spending approximately four hours a week on producing the episodes.
Why to watch: To learn when is the best time for side-dressing corn and to get some tips on improving things on your farm.
Over 35k subscribers
Who: The Dodge Brothers, who made their own channel to let people see what the farming life is like first hand whether on the field or at home at their little ranch.
What: The channel is less than a year old, but one of its videos has already scored 116,000 views. It’s a review of agricultural machinery, which tells a lot about tractors on the farm. Other videos on the channel are devoted to the working life with its ups and downs.
Why to watch: To learn the difference between the square and round bales and find out how to make maple syrup.
What: The channel is less than a year old, but one of its videos has already scored 116,000 views. It’s a review of agricultural machinery, which tells a lot about tractors on the farm. Other videos on the channel are devoted to the working life with its ups and downs.
Why to watch: To learn the difference between the square and round bales and find out how to make maple syrup.
Illustration by Daria Sazanovich
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