FROM THE FIELD TO YOUR SCREEN A
FIFTH GENERATION FARMER FROM
MINNESOTA IS NOW A SOCIAL MEDIA
SUCCESS AND INNUANCER WITH MORE
THAN 70 MILLION VIEWS ON HIS
YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
LET'S BRING IN MILLENNIAL FARMER
ZACH JOHNSON ZACH, GOOD MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING, CHERYL HOW ARE
YOU?
PSMGHT GOOD.
SO YOU'RE KIND OF YOU SAY AN
ACCIDENTAL YOUTUBE STAR.
HOW DID THIS ALL HAPPEN?
>> WELL IN 2016 I HAD THE IDEA
OF PUTTING MY FARM LIFE OUT
THERE TO RELATE WITH PEOPLE
ABOUT WHAT WE DO ON FARM TO
BE TRANSPARENT ABOUT WHAT GOES
ON IN DAY-TO-DAYING MANAGEMENT
OF THE BUSINESS.
AND I JUST STARTED PUTTING
MYSELF OUT THERE FOR AB YEAR AND
A HALF IT WAS REALLY JUST A
HOBBY AND NOTHING MORE THAN
THAT.
AND THEN I HAD A COUPLE OF
VIDEOS THAT WENT BIG RIGHT
AROUND HARVEST TIME AND 2017,
AND IT JUST KIND OF SNOWBALLED
SINCE THERE.
MY WIFE AND I PUT A LOT OF TIM
AND EFFORT INTO IT, AND WE JUST
KIND OF --
IT JUST KEEPS BUILDING AND IT IS
NOT SOMETHING THAT I EVER
EXPECTED TO GET TO THIS POINT.
CERTAINLY, NEVER EXPECTED TO BE
TALKING TO YOU ABOUT IT.
AND IT JUST KIND OF TAKING OFF
AND BECOME SOMETHING ITS THE
OWN.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK IT IS WITH
YOUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL AND YOUR
VIDEOS?
I MEAN WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY TO YOU
THAT THEY FIND MOST INTERESTING
ABOUT YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LIFE
BECAUSE FRANKLY FOR MOST OF US
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT FARMERS
REALLY DO DAY-TO-DAY.
>> RIGHT.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT IS
INTERESTING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE
TO BE ABLE TO REALLY SEE, YOU
KNOW, FROM THE INSIDE OUT --
WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE FARM
LEVEL WHEN PEOPLE DRIVE DOWN THE
INTERSTATE AND THEY SEE
FARMERS OUT THERE WORKING AND E
THEY HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT WHY ARE THEY DOING THIS OR
WHY ARE THEY DOING THAT AND HEAR
THING ON NEWS OR SEE THING ON
THE INTERNET BUT THEY DON'T
REALLY KNOW WHAT GOES INTO
MAKING THE DECISIONS AND WHAT
THE TECHNOLOGY IS THAT GOES
BEHIND THAT, AND I THINK IT, IT
IS AN INTERESTING WAY FOR A LOT
OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE ANOTHER
WAY TO SEE FROM THE INSIDE OUT
HOW FARM WORKS A GOOD WAY FOR
THEM TO SEE DIRECTLY FROM A
FARMER FROM MYSELF FROM OUR
FAMILY, THAT LIVES OUT HERE ON
FARM DOES THIS EVERY DAY GOOD
WAY FOR THEM TO SEE HOW THAT
WORK.
>> JACK HAS A QUESTION FOR YOU.
>> ZACH BRAUGHER UNIVERSITY OF
MINNESOTA PROUD ALUM --
[LAUGHTER]
BROTHER WHAT CITY ARE YOU IN?
WHERE'S YOUR FARM LOCATED?
>> WE ARE SOUTHWEST OF
ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA ABOUT IS 1
ALEXANDRIA, MINNESOTA ABOUT IS 5
MILES.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND
TERRAIN THAT ZACH AND WEATHER
CONDITIONS THAT YOU'RE FARMING
UNDER.
IT GETS BRUTELY COLD IN
MINNESOTA SO JUST EXPLAIN A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT ALL THAT YOU
TAKE ON AS A FARMER IN THAT PART
OF THE COUNTRY.
>> YEAH.
AS YOU SAID IT GETS COLD.
WE'RE ABOUT HALF WAY BETWEEN
MINNEAPOLIS AND MARGO, ABOUT
NORTH DAKOTA AND IT GETS COLD
HERE SO, OBVIOUSLY, WITH ANY
FARMER, ANY TIME YOU'RE FARMING
WEATHER IS A CONCERN RIGHT IT IS
NUMBER ONE THING.
BUT UP HERE IN MINNESOTA, WHERE
WE'RE AT, WE CAN GROW REALLY
GOOD CORN.
BUT WE HAVE A SHORT SEASON TO DO
IT IN.
WE HAVE REALLY GOOD SOIL IT IS
BUT WE'RE IN A COLD CLIMATE.
SO WE'VE GOT TO DO EVERYTHING WE
CAN TO GET IN EARLY IN THE
SPRING TO GET AS MUCH --
AS MANY DAYS AS MANY GROWING
DAYS FOR THAT CORN TO GROW AND
REALLY GIVE IT THE OPPORTUNITY
TO DO THE BEST THAT IT CAN.
>> HEY ZACH --
>> CAN I ASK YOU A REAL QUICK
QUESTION THE FIRST VIDEO THAT
WENT VIRAL WHAT WAS IT ABOUT?
WHAT WAS IT THAT TRIGGERED THAT
TREMENDOUS RESPONSE?
>> WELL I HAD A VIDEO WHERE I
JUST WALKED AROUND WITH MY GO
PRO AT THAT WILL TIME IT WAS MY
HOBBY AND SOY WALKED AROUND WITH
A GO PRO REALLY AND TALKED TO
CAMERA ABOUT ABOUT EVERYTHING WE
HAVE GOING ON AND WHAT WE WERE
DOING GETTING READY FOR HARVEST.
AND WITHIN A COUPLE OF DAYS IT
HIT 100,000 VIEWS WHICH FOR ME
AT THE TIME WAS JUST CRAZY.
AND THAT WAS KIND OF MY
BREAKTHROUGH VIDEO.
>> I HAVE TO ASK YOU ABOUT MONEY
YOU'RE MAKING BECAUSE YOU HAVE
APPAREL YOU HAVE MERCHANDISE,
AND YOU FIGURED THE OUT A WAY TO
CONNECT YOUR ADVERTISERS TO
THOSE THAT ARE WATCHING YOUR
VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE.
THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING.
>> YEAH.
LIKE I SAY IT IS KIND OF TAKING
ON A LIFE OF ITSELF OWN BECOME
IT OWN THING.
WE WORK HARD AT IT BUT IT HAS
BEEN A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US.
>> ZACH JOHNSON A REALLY GREAT
STORY AND VIDEOS ARE FUN I