INTERVIEW: ‘American Farm’ tells untold story of high-stakes farming
Photo: The Robertson family is featured on the new History series The American Farm. Photo courtesy of History / Provided by High 10 Media with permission.
The American Farm, the new reality series on History, closes out its first season Thursday, May 23 at 10 p.m. Throughout its first set of episodes, viewers have had the chance to hear the stories of several farmers working in the United States. Their trials and tribulations have been on display, plus plenty of family drama and weather-related issues.
There is a family in Virginia and another in Tennessee. The Meyers family is located in Alaska, while the Robertsons are New Hampshire residents. Rounding out the narrative is a Utah family of farmers.
At the helm of the new series is a set of producers, including Jeff Conroy, who recently exchanged emails with Hollywood Soapbox. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What excited you most about The American Farm series?
I have to tell you that it’s been a passion project of my partner, Thom Beers, for almost a decade, and I’ve personally never understood how the family farm story has remained untold for so long. It has all the stuff you look for in dramatic storytelling — high stakes, great characters, risk and reward. Farmers in America are waging a battle to produce the food on our tables. Each season they leverage everything they have to put crops in the ground. Then they battle pests, weather, machinery and markets, and if they’re fortunate enough to have their decisions pay off, they can live to do it again the following year.
Do you believe American viewers need to be educated on the stories and struggles of farmers in the country?
My job is not to educate; it’s to entertain. I’m here to tell a compelling story about great characters. That said, I think those of us living in the suburbs and the cities could really use the eye-opening understanding of what life is truly like on the family farm.
Spoiler alert: it’s not all Norman Rockwell. It’s a job that is risky — personally and financially. Not only is farming one of the most dangerous jobs in America, but also one that can ruin you financially and put you out of business within a couple bad harvests. That’s probably an education for most viewers.
How did you go about selecting the farmers to highlight?
We looked at a variety of elements while casting — geography, types of crops, family histories, business challenges, weather risks, etc. From there, we talked to as many people as would talk to us. In the end, we fell in love with these families and hope that the viewers do, too.
How long was production on this inaugural season? Did your team have all access?
We were there all year — planting through harvest. Of course, there are personal boundaries, but we’re there with the families on the farm all day (and sometimes night). In fact, one producing team was living in one of our farm families’ basement — it doesn’t get closer than that.
What makes for a successful reality series?
You can never go wrong with characters you care about in a high stakes, high reward situation.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The American Farm finale airs Thursday, May 23 at 10 p.m. on History. Click here for more information.
