GREENFIELD — Jonathan Lawler wasn’t looking to become an influencer.
He just wanted to spread the word about food insecurity through his nonprofit, Brandywine Creek Farms, and help feed those who might otherwise go without.
Yet the farmer now finds himself taping a show that will soon be available on Amazon Prime, writing a column twice a week for AGDAILY, and even launching his own line of apparel.
He’s also had a book agent reach out to him about writing a book on his unusual experience of turning a farm into a nonprofit to fight hunger.
Lawler has more than 30,000 Facebook followers from all over the world and is gaining about 1,000 more each week. He has also recently branched out to Instagram.
“He’s becoming a nationally known influencer in the agricultural world,” said his wife, Amanda.
It’s a bit mind-blowing for the rural Greenfield man, to say the least.
Lawler is best known as the Punk Rock Farmer, a moniker given to him by a group of kids he was chatting with while installing an urban farm in Indianapolis.
“I was wearing a Misfits (band) shirt, my hair was long on top and shaved on the sides, and I was listening to punk rock music on the radio in my truck, so the kids started calling me a punk rock farmer,” Lawler recalled.
“There was a reporter there who heard it and the name caught on,” he said.
While the nickname made Lawler chuckle at first, he has since embraced the image.
It wasn’t until someone created a Punk Rock Farmer Facebook page for him that he realized the marketing opportunity to help promote Brandywine Creek Farms’ mission, which is feeding the hungry and addressing food scarcity throughout Hancock County and beyond.
“I started looking at the advocacy piece of it and realized there’s a lot of people that will listen to me who won’t listen to scientists in lab coats or a spokesman in a suit and tie,” he said. “That’s important for us to be able to help get our message out there.”
The name recognition has grown so much, Lawler is now in talks with Key Apparel to produce Punk Rock Farmer items that will be sold in stores like Walmart, Target and Tractor Supply.
It’s been six years now since Lawler and his wife, Amanda, hatched the idea to use their Greenfield farm’s harvest to feed those in need.
They came up with the idea while drinking coffee at their kitchen table, discussing upcoming plans for their farm that year.
Their son, Gabriel, had shared with them that some kids at his school relied on a food pantry to stay fed. Moved by the news, the Lawlers decided to dedicate that year’s harvest to feeding those in need. Little did they know how their mission would grow.
Since then, Brandywine Creek Farms has become a certified nonprofit, donating over 5 million pounds of produce in central Indiana. More than 40 individuals have gone through the nonprofit’s 2nd Chance Farmer Program for at-risk young adults.
The farm hit a setback last month, however, when Lawler was run over by a steer on an otherwise normal day on the farm, putting him out of commission for three weeks.
The farmer said the 680-pound steer didn’t charge, but felt cornered between a creek and a piece of farming equipment. Lawler just happened to be standing in his path when he made a fast exit.
“The next time I think a steer is bluffing, I’m going to assume he’s not,” said Lawler, who herniated two discs and impinged his rotator cuff.
He’s thankful the injury happened during a year when he had scaled back operations on the 113-acre farm, partially due to the pandemic, but partly to focus on educational outreach.
Teaching anyone who will listen about the realities of food insecurity, and how local agriculture can help, are the core of Lawler’s mission.
That’s the purpose of taping the new “Punk Rock Farmer Show” for Amazon, he said.
The professionally produced show, which will debut next year, features Lawler visiting different farmers and highlighting what they each do for the food system.
“It takes me out of my element to go to a farm I’ve never been on to help a farmer with chores while talking about his or her operation,” Lawler said.
The first season will have eight episodes that appear on Amazon Prime. Digital shorts from the tapings will be released every two weeks on Facebook.
The first episode was taped at Bastin Honey Bee Farm in Knightstown.
It’s an exciting time for Lawler, who is on educational outreach while training his middle son, Elijah, 18, to take over daily operations at the farm.
His oldest son Gabriel, 20, helped out at the farm until starting school at Anderson University, where he plays football.
His youngest son Daniel, 15, works on the farm when he’s not busy with school.
His dad says he’s a “tech head,” and has been helpful in moving the farm toward automation.
It was Daniel who told his dad about a company that makes soil sensors, and encouraged him to give them a call. When Lawler did, the company gave him some sensors to try for free.
They knew of Lawler’s role as an ag influencer as the Punk Rock Farmer, and they wanted his feedback and endorsement.
“I certainly never thought I’d be an influencer of any kind,” said Lawler, “but if it helps get the word out about the importance of farming and food security, I’m all in.”
