Reel roots
GreenPoint Ag’s ‘Southern Farming’ video series showcases authentic stories in agriculture
By Mark Johnson Photos by Dylan Robbins, courtesy of GreenPoint Ag
GreenPoint Ag social media and content producer Dylan Robbins prepares to catch a photography drone as enthusiastic members of the Gravois family in Louisiana take part. The family are part of a video series, "Southern Farming," produced by Dylan.
Farming in the South is more than an occupation — it’s a rich tradition passed down through generations, rooted in hard work, family values, and community pride. GreenPoint Ag, a farmer-owned agricultural input supplier with Deep South roots, is capturing the spirit of that heritage through its "Southern Farming" video series, a project led by Dylan Robbins, the company’s social media and content producer.
Launched nearly five years ago, “Southern Farming” is a storytelling initiative that highlights the lives, legacies, and land of Southern farmers across GreenPoint Ag's 10-state footprint. With more than 100 retail and wholesale locations throughout the region, including locations operated by part-owner Tennessee Farmers Cooperative (TFC), GreenPoint is using the series to give back to the growers who form the backbone of its business.
“‘Southern Farming’ is our way of showing appreciation to our growers," says Robbins, who is based in Oakland, Tennessee and is a longtime customer of Mid-South Farmers Co-op. "Just like Co-op, we’re farmer-owned, and we wanted a brand that wasn’t just the GreenPoint logo, but something that presented the stories of the people behind the food and fiber."
In a similar style to the Cooperator’s own “Every Farmer has a Story” series, each episode of “Southern Farming” centers on a farming family and features everything from crop practices to personal anecdotes, all told in an accessible, documentary-style format. Robbins travels to each farm to spend time with the growers, capturing candid interviews, farm scenes, and sometimes even their off-farm hobbies. The result is an authentic, visually rich portrayal of Southern agriculture.
One family featured in the series is the Sullivans of Macon, Tennessee, long-time members of Mid-South Farmers Cooperative. Known for their dedication to farming and a surprising passion for drag racing that dates back to the mid-1970s, the Sullivans were featured in an episode titled "Fast cars and farming."
"I thought it would be a fun angle to show what farmers do in their downtime," Robbins says. "When they’re not in the field, the Sullivans are in the shop working on race cars. And when they travel to races, people know them as 'the farmers in the group.'"
That would be a correct assessment. The Sullivans row crop around 7,200 acres of corn, soybeans, wheat and occasionally, cotton — as well as 800 acres of purple-hulled peas — on their fifth-generational farm. The family’s primary spokesperson, John Sullivan, Jr., says the response to the video has been “overwhelmingly positive.”
“I think the video was a huge success, mostly on Facebook,” says Sullivan, who farms with his father, John, Sr., and his son, Will, a recent graduate of Mississippi State University. “A lot of our farming friends didn’t know much about our racing hobby, and a lot of our racing friends didn’t know much about our farming, so I think the video has done well to mesh those two groups of what we do and what we enjoy — both farming and drag racing.”
The Sullivan video also carries a deeper message. Released during Mental Health Awareness Month, the episode includes a heartfelt segment on the importance of checking in with fellow farmers.
In a screenshot taken from a "Southern Farming" episode on the Sullivans of Macon, Tennessee, John Sullivan Jr. loads a grain truck during the 2024 harvest season.
“Farming is very stressful,” Sullivan points out in the video. “If you’ve got a buddy who’s looking down, call him. I did that with a friend of mine the other day. I thought about him, picked the phone up, called him, and said, ‘Hey, man, I’m thinking about you. I love you.’ It’s easy to do, you know? It can make all the difference.”
In addition to the Sullivans, the video series features a broad range of voices and experiences. One standout episode includes an interview with 93-year-old Sharon Chapman of North Louisiana, who shares firsthand accounts of farming with mules, harvesting crops by hand, the introduction of the cotton picker, and other stories. The episode went viral, garnering nearly a million views on Facebook.
"People relate to people," says Robbins. "They see someone who reminds them of their granddad or neighbor, and they connect with that."
Other episodes include a Florida grower who uses his background as a flight medic to host farm safety days, and a Georgia farmer who travels to Washington, D.C., to advocate for agriculture policy. One Louisiana family — the Gravois — has been featured in multiple episodes, capturing their multigenerational journey with crops like perique tobacco, a rare variety grown only in that region.
The series also serves as a digital keepsake for participating families. Robbins recounts how one grower told him the videos had brought their family closer, with everyone gathering to watch each new release together.
"He said that never would’ve happened otherwise, and that was pretty powerful for me," says Robbins. "These videos are more than only content. They’re about preserving memories."
Episodes are primarily released on Facebook, where they receive the most engagement, but are also available on YouTube and TikTok. Full episodes typically run six to eight minutes, accompanied by teaser clips and seasonal reels. A dedicated "Southern Farming" TikTok channel also offers behind-the-scenes content and in-field action shots.
As GreenPoint Ag continues producing new episodes, Robbins hopes the series not only honors today’s farmers but also educates viewers on the diversity and depth of Southern agriculture.
"We want to share stories people don’t normally hear," he says. "Whether it’s about how sugarcane is planted or why family matters so much on the farm, these are the stories worth telling."
Sullivan, scouting his cotton prior to harvest, says the video series has been "nothing but positive" for his family. Sullivan farms fulltime with his father, John, Sr., and son, Will.
The Sullivans' longtime hobby of drag racing dates back to the mid-1970s.
By Mark Johnson,
Contact mark@bigharvestcreative.com