By MADELINE REIDA

Staff writer

YouTube stars and fifth-generation farmers Greg, Nathan, and Kendal Peterson sang and did a presentation Friday at Marion Sports and Aquatics Center in honor of Kansas Day.

The three brothers — collectively the Peterson Farm Bros — started uploading music parody videos to YouTube 10 years ago. In 2012, they had their first major hit with “I’m Farming and I Grow It,” a parody of “Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO. It garnered five million views in one week.

“When we first posted that, I thought that just our friends would watch it,” Greg said.

In an attempt to teach social media users about agriculture, they became fast stars. Along with a live performance on “Good Morning America,” they have toured the country and appeared at several schools to teach about farming.

Many of their videos focus on agriculture as the world’s primary source of food and the day-to-day lives of farmers in America. They also post original songs and comedy skits on the topic.

They have released 28 music videos that parody both new and old hit songs. Their most-viewed work, a parody of “Gangnam Style” titled “Farmer Style,” has 18 million views.

“On our farm, we joke that we raise beef, wheat, beans, milo, corn, sunflowers, and YouTube videos,” Greg said.

Over the years, their hits have been followed by posts from other farmers sharing what their daily life is like.

“When we started it, it felt like not a lot of farmers were sharing what they do on social media,” Nathan said. “Since then, we feel like a lot more have been sharing what they do on Instagram and YouTube.”

They have collaborated with other farmers from Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Pennsylvania in their music videos.

Marion students stomped, clapped, and danced along to videos Friday. The brothers got the crowd to shout along to their “Thunderstruck” parody, “Tractorstuck”.

They imparted life advice while catching their breath between songs.

“Really what life is all about is making a positive impact on people,” Kendal said.