The epic tale of a maverick Midwestern farmer. An outcast in his community, Farmer John bravely stands amidst a failing economy, vicious rumors, and violence. By melding the traditions of family farming with the power of art and free expression, this powerful story of transformation and renewal heralds a resurrection of farming in America.

Through highly personal interviews and 50 years of beautifully textured footage, filmmaker Taggart Siegel shares Farmer John’s haunting and humorous odyssey, capturing what it means to be wildly different in a rural community.

 

NOTABLE QUOTES

 “Unbelievably special…a real and gripping story told with insight and humor.”
- Al Gore, former Vice-President

“A Charming, wonderful and important movie.”
- Alice Waters, Chef and Advocate

“Farmer John is a compelling and complex character whose story will open your heart, break it, and then fill it with a redemptive vision.”
- Nina Utne, Utne

“The film evolves into a deeply moving metaphor for the struggles of an entire generation. His triumphant story is essential for all us city folk who have found ourselves despairing for the earth and what has seemed like our inevitable alienation from it.”
- Mark Achbar, director, The Corporation

PRESS HIGHLIGHTS

“… one man's extraordinary life as a gateway to a larger history of tragedy and transition. It's an unflinching account of what farming takes — and, more important, what it gives back....”
- Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

  “An extraordinarily personal and invigorating saga of one man’s reclamation of traditional American ideals … this symbiotic artistry is surely one of the greatest films ever made about America’s farming traditions.”
- Jeff Shannon, The Seattle Times

 “An enjoyable look at an unconventional American.”
- Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle

 “Lives up to the salaciousness of its title, packing ‘60s radicalism, free love and suspicions of Satanic worship into its plight-of-the-working-man narrative,”
- Adam Nayman, Toronto Eye Weekly

out of 4 stars. “ A loving, moving, inspiring, quirky documentary.”
- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

out of 4 stars - “What a blessing this film is, for everyone who’s chosen the road less taken, and even perhaps for anyone who’s stood in their way.”
- Jan Stuart, NewsDay.com

out of 4 stars - "....a completely American story, and one with an authenticity that's refreshing at a time when the values John lives by—respect for the land, individualism, free expression—are treated as bumper sticker slogans by our political leaders."
- Jim Hemphill, Reel.com

"Inspiring ....outstanding documentary... an intimacy unimaginable in most nonfiction films."
- Kevin Crust, Los Angeles Times

“…the agrarian fantasy is so compelling here that the revitalization of the American family farm begins to seem not just possible, but probable…”
- Julia Wallace, the village Voice

Farmer John’s like Priscilla, Queen of the Corn..."
- Entertainment Weekly

“One of the Top Ten Films of the Year.  … heart-stirring and hopeful …”
- Shawn Levy, The Oregonian

“Beautifully shot. Heartbreakingly sad. Funny as s**t.  A+”
 - Portland Mercury, Oregon

“Tarnation on a farm. A”
- Dave White, movies.com

“…it combines in a very beautiful way conservative views and liberal views into a sweet harmony at a time when America so needs to see that example. A”
- Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card

“As this flamboyant free spirit (at times he's like Priscilla, Queen of the Cornfields) works his way back … turns into a portrait of how American family farming could blossom for a new century. B+”
- Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

“A triumph of baby boomer ideals, that work and art can and ought to coexist. B+”
- Gianni Truzzi, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"…a most compelling character... Suffused with a soulful optimism as vast as the fruited plains.”
- Scott Foundas, Variety

“What a movie!”
- Dorothy Kalins, Newsweek

“A beguiling combination of agrarian ode and the Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.”
- J.R. Jones, Chicago Reader

"I loved this outrageous film! Engaging, moving and highly entertaining.”
- Audrey Philpot, Malibu Chronicle

“Full of curious triumphs and outlandish redemptions.”
- Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

“His story offers an example not only of the spiritual value of honoring one’s provenance but also of how sustained effort can lead to greatness.”
- Shauna Lyon, The New Yorker

“Compelling contemporary and vintage film footage.  The story… is amazing about a farm that falls apart and then is revived.”
- USA Today

“An inexplicably compelling portrait of a low-key Midwestern eccentric…. It may not sound like much, but the film’s oddball charm can melt a die-hard hippie-haters heart.”   
- Cliff Doerksen, Time Out (Chicago)