As we approach the holidays, most people are consumed with a sense of stress. While some can prepare in advance, many procrastinate when it comes to Christmas, finding themselves rushing around to get all the last-minute details right.
You need stocking stuffers, yummy food, gifts for the family, and maybe some holiday cards. When it comes to the latter, most people take a nice family photo and call it a day— but this fifth-generation farming family from South Dakota took things to a whole other level.
Located in Hartford, South Dakota, the Prunty Farm is home to father-son duo Dan and Adam Prunty.
As the 2015 Christmas season was approaching, Adam and his father came up with a unique holiday project. Adam had been using drones for two years at that point and was extremely interested in video editing. Coming together with his Dad, Adam wanted to combine their passions for agriculture and videomaking in a completely new way. You often see farmers carving patterns or messages into corn fields, but Adam incorporated a little twist. Instead of using leaves or vegetation, they’d be using the freshly fallen snow.
On December 3, 2015, they put their plan into action.
In the video, you see a John Deere 640 tractor being driven by Dan.
The video is filmed by a drone, giving an aerial perspective. From the ground, it probably looks like Dan’s driving around in meaningless circles— but there’s a method to his madness the audience has yet to ascertain. For Dan, each movement is smooth and purposeful. A single mistake could ruin the entire canvas, so he’s truly putting his driving skills to the test.
The design had originally been created by Adam. “I drove it first with the tractor, and then I had my dad drive it again while I filmed it with a drone,” he told the Argus Leader.
The complete design covered more than two acres of land.
As mentioned, from the ground, it’d be impossible to tell what Dan was doing in the tractor. The drone, sitting high in the sky, was the only witness to the beauty that was taking place. For his part, Adam expertly maneuvered it to capture Dan’s work at the perfect angles. When they were finally finished, they hoped the result would be all they’d imagined.
Dan and Adam’s unique winter project turned out better than they could have expected, and the video immediately went viral.
What started as a creative gift for their friends and family quickly spread across the world. A family friend shared the clip to the John Deere Facebook page, where you can imagine the tractor fans got quite a kick out of the whole thing.
In an interview with the Argus Leader, Adam expressed his love for drones and video editing, saying he’d like to create more videos in the future. To see what he’s done since then, check out the Prunty Farm YouTube channel.
Since being uploaded, the family’s tractor snow art has been viewed more than 2 million times.
“Very nice! Thank you and Merry Christmas!”
“WOW that was very cool and Nice!!!”
“This is fantastic!”
See the video below!
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