Independent Lens . THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN | PBS

Farmer John Peterson sits atop a red tractor wearing a long leopard-spotted coat with a pink feather boa collar, a black eye mask and a blonde Beatle-type wig. A blue sky with clouds and trees are in the background.

Long shot of Farmer John in an onion field, the farmhouse behind him, wearing glasses and a straw hat, he smells a just-picked onion, with gusto

“To me, farming is poetry, drama. It’s a source of infinite fascination.”
—Farmer John Peterson

For more than 70 years, the Peterson family farm has been a mainstay in a rural Illinois community. But will John Peterson be the last to work the land? Explore the epic tale of unconventional farmer who transforms his farm into a revolutionary new form of agriculture.


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