Tennessee farmer Matt Griggs joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about farming. How do farmers keep track of what they’re growing, and keep it in such straight lines? Why does farming have such a high mortality rate as a profession? How are the ongoing trade wars affecting farmers? Why do farmers need government subsidies? How big of a problem is soil erosion? Is 100% organic farming possible? Answers to these questions and more await on Farming Support.
More Farming content with Matt Griggs:
https://www.youtube.com/@griggsfarmsllc
0:00 Farming Support
0:19 How do farmers straight/regular lines in their fields?
1:26 Must-have farmer tools and equipment
2:19 How do you keep track of what you’re growing?
3:50 A bushel and a peck? You bet your purdy neck I do.
4:26 Tractor GPS
5:50 Why does farming have such a high death rate?
6:34 Becoming a farmer
7:07 Farmer profits
8:48 Farmer subsidies
9:53 Field Corn and Dent Corn
10:34 Soil erosion
12:36 Pest control on the farm
13:33 ELI5: How is the soil replenished in farming fields?
14:35 How do farmers water their fields?
15:50 Trade Wars
17:48 Why do weeds grow faster than crops?
18:36 GMOs
19:26 Biggest expenses for farmers
20:26 Farm to market
20:52 The hardest part
21:36 Things farmers do you may not appreciate
22:04 A day in the life of a farmer
22:34 What do farmers do in the winter?
23:07 Making farming more sustainable
24:00 100% organic farming?
Director: Lisandro Perez-Rey
Director of Photography: Peter Braswell
Editor: Richard Trammell
Expert: Matt Griggs
Line Producer: Jamie Rasmussen
Associate Producer: Paul Gulyas
Production Manager: Peter Brunette
Production Coordinator: Rhyan Lark
Casting Producer: Nick Sawyer
Camera Operator: Jared Callan
Sound Mixer: Brandon Robertson
Production Assistant: Noelle Beard
Post Production Supervisor: Christian Olguin
Post Production Coordinator: Stella Shortino
Supervising Editor: Erica DeLeo
Assistant Editor: Andy Morell
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I would really like to see a breakdown of how MAINTENANCE adds up to $2-300,000 PER YEAR. This is not because I doubt the obviously very knowledgeable individual in any way. It’s because outside of maybe a passenger airliner, I can’t comprehend how any equipment could have that much in maintenance cost. Especially considering the equipment is sitting idle most of the time whereas the airliner is in use almost 24/7.
If you’ve owned anything mechanical, you understand that it’s harder on equipment to sit idle than be in regular use. Batteries go bad, bearings get dry, critters eat on wiring, seals get hard. And that’s not counting the regular wear parts on each machine.
Most of our equipment serves one specific purpose only one small part of the year.
Also take into account that our equipment works in harsh, abrasive conditions. Dust, mud, etc.
Just maintaining the combine costs $10-15K per year. The planter costs $5K/year. Each tire is $1500-2K. We use over $2K of engine oil each year. One sensor on my cotton picker that went bad was $2300.
It all adds up over the course of the year.
06:26 you need a kill switch like what jet skis have. around your wrist. you go flying off, it kills the engine.
Glad you are safe ❤️🩹🏥
Ba
Don’t be fooled by the folksy delivery. He was given a business worth millions of dollars by his parents. He argues that he needs subsidies to supply Americans with cheap food, but who pays for those subsidies? Americans. Also, a lot of that cheap food gets exported. Farmers aren’t doing what they do because they’re so concerned with taking care of their fellow Americans. They vote overwhelmingly for politicians who fight to reduce and block public benefit programs. Lastly, keep in mind that the folksy family farmer is a very tiny slice of the industry. You know who owns the most farmland in the USA? Bill Gates. Farm subsidies go almost entirely to millionaires and billionaires.
Top 10 most awesome video i have seen in 2025!
Farming in the US is structured as a Socialist enterprise, which is hilarious when you consider that most farmers are conservatives who claim to hate Socialism.
He spoke about replenishing nutrients but what about the actual structure. The loam and biomatter?
How much soy beans have been sold to china this year : 0
Why do farmers vote against their interests?
Those bushel prices are FAR too low. 60 pounds of wheat is worth 15 minutes of minimum wage labor? That’s ridiculous 4:31
yup. They need subsidies to buy a tractor able of going straight. Too lazy to drive it themself.
I much rather have my taxes go to farmers than bombs
Ain’t no way they asked that question with that flag
A whole bunch because trump hands them $12 mil every time he’s president.
Great host….
$72K profit over $1.8MM revenue? Wow it seems low. İnterest or rent would create better outcome?
End all subsidies.
“It’s called ethanol!” Exactly like 60% of my whisky.
It’s a Field trip!
Our Farmers deserve our subsidies more than Israel does 🙏
That was by far the best Tech Support I’ve watched on this channel.