On an ordinary cattle and grain farm, you would expect to see just that – cattle and grain. But Derek Klingenberg, better known as farmer Derek, is no ordinary farmer, and neither are his cattle. After a day of grazing in the fields, there is only way Klingenberg can get his cattle back to their stable – serenading them with his trombone.
That’s right, on any given day, Klingenberg can be found with his wonderfully oversized farmer hat and trombone on his farm in Kansas Flint Hill, in the United States.
In one video that has since gone viral, Klingenberg is seen playing his version of the Lorde’s “Royals”. The moment Klingenberg starts playing the hit song on his trombone, the cows come running, and sing (moo) along, all in tune of course.
The Passim Boys
It all started years ago when Klingenberg, his brother Grant, and a few friends started a musical group called The Passim Boys. The group eventually disbanded, which left Klingenberg very upset. “I had written a couple of funny farm songs and I was really upset that we disbanded it.”
In 2009, Klingenberg bought a camera, clicked record, loaded the video to his brother’s computer, and forgot about it. Klingenberg’s sister-in-law later discovered it, shared it on Facebook, and as they say, the rest is history.
“I started getting hired, people started hiring me for videos and commercials. In the end, I didn’t like working for people anymore because sometimes they say no to an idea,” Klingenberg told Dad Dare’s, a YouTube blog created by Cody Axthelm.
Klingenberg’s funny video has even attracted the attention of the producers of America’s Got Talent who wanted to invite Klingenberg, his trombone and a few Californian cows to the popular TV show.
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“I was like are you sure? Maybe you better think about this and call me back tomorrow? So he didn’t call me back,” Klingenberg said.
Today he has a successful YouTube channel called Farmer Derek. He uploads a variety of videos: from his cows making an appearance on Shark Week, to lining up to write a word that gets captured by a satellite, to a college choir singing in his grain bin. There’s even a video of him catching a fish with his drone.
‘I do a lot of weird stuff’
When Klingenberg is not singing, dancing or playing his trombone, he is a father to three, a husband and a very serious farmer.
Farmer Derek lives and works on the Klingenberg Family farm called Klingenberg Farms or KFI. It is managed by Klingenberg’s father Vernon, who is the CEO, while agronomy (corn, soybeans and wheat) is managed by Klingenberg. The cattle side is managed by Grant.
The farm was started in the mid-’30s by his grandfather who immigrated from West Prussia in 1923 when he was nine.
Growing up, Klingenberg’s priorities consisted of church, family, work, music, and eating a lot. Derek spends his time working on the farm, dancing with his girls, and making YouTube videos.
“I also do different parodies. I also do a lot of weird stuff, and weirder stuff, it’s a lot of fun,” he said.
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