July 22, 2013 — Following the pilot production and distribution of its first 60-minute TV special, Against The Grain: The Year Mother Nature Struck Back, Against The Grain Productions LLC is now seeking support in putting together a 30-part webisode series and a companion DVD, Against The Grain: One Family, One Farm scheduled for release in December 2013.

Against The Grain Productions is a company formed by grain marketing expert Al Kluis, ag publishing executive Katie Thompson, brand marketing expert Harold Weitzberg, and Emmy Award-winning TV producers Robb Weller and Gary Grossman. “Our goal is to bring the real story of farmers to the public through well constructed docu-drama programming,” says Weitzberg. 

“Our one hour special, Against The Grain: The Year Mother Nature Struck Back, was seen on over 174 TV stations around the country in 2012. We need to do more,” he says. (www.againstthegrain.TV)

“We want to show corporate America that they should be supporting this message and helping us bring it to the American public. And we can do this with our new production and Kickstarter campaign.”

Weitzberg says “the Kickstarter (http://kck.st/11aFzEj) gives us the opportunity to ask you, our friends, our supporters, our business associates, to provide pledge contributions of $100 or $70 or $25 or even $1, we will be able to show support for this project. Each pledge amount have rewards for you to expand your involvement in the production and acknowledge your participation. We are seeking to raise $115,000 by August 2nd. This will allow us to create a web series of 30 episodes, each 3-5 minutes long, for broadcast starting December 2013.”

Against The Grain: One Family, One Farm will follow the multi-generational Hughes family farm in southern Missouri. The principal characters are Lincoln and Trinnade Hughes, their three young sons, and Lincoln’s parents, along with their friends and associates. According to the producers, this strong, nuclear family represents the future of farming in America. They combine traditional hard work and determination with modern science and financial management, living each year creating a business and providing for a good life. In many ways, they are the typical American family, playing video games, spending time on Facebook and Twitter, visiting friends, and dealing with homework. They get up before dawn to work the farm to create their future.

“Our original 60-minute television production featured Lincoln and Trinnade as they struggled to bring a crop in for two years in spite of a devastating drought. The Hughes family has endured. Now they’re bringing their farm back to life, getting their kids through school, and working together as the new planting season begins. Maybe this year Mother Nature and the economy will result in a better outcome for their soybean, corn and wheat farm. With your help, we’ll see. The story of the American farm family deserves to be told. We need your support to make it happen,” says Weitzberg.

In a press release, the producers say, “We need the support of farmers, farm families and ag students as well as those individuals and companies throughout the country who want to know and remember what farming is about. We want your support to see the program and tell all the people you know about the program. It is time to let people see why we need farmers and why we should love farmers.

“Production is always a risky business and farming is always full of risks, but with our combined history of production and knowledge of agriculture, we feel confident we can overcome adversity and bring this project to fruition.”

For more information on the Kickstarter campaign, please go to (http://kck.st/11aFzEj).