If you haven’t noticed, John Deere is more active than ever on social media. Its latest influencer is 9-year-old farm kid Jackson Laux from Indiana. He’s been dubbed “chief tractor kid.”

Laux follows in the footsteps of fellow influencer Rex Curtiss, 22, who joined the brand in spring as “chief tractor officer.” In Curtiss’ job-winning video, he sculpts a tractor, plays a song and advocates for sustainability. A California native, Curtiss has a degree in environmental studies from the University of Washington. 

Jackson’s claim to fame first happened when his cousin posted a video November 2023 of Jackson showing off his John Deere 112 tractor.

“I own this one — 1970, I think,” Jackson says, clambering onto the machine to start it right up. “I got it for $35. I bought it off of my Uncle Tim.”

The video garnered 6.4 million views in one year. Jackson hails from a fifth-generation farm in South Whitely, Ind.

“Farming is really cool, and I want to show other kids my age why they should get into farming, too. And show farmers of all ages why they should take the time to teach us younger ones,” he says about his new role.

Jackson will create content for John Deere’s social media channels throughout the next year. He joins Curtiss, who was selected for his role in June.

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GETTING A TOUR: Jackson Laux, 9, gives Rex Curtiss, of John Deere, a tour of his family’s Indiana farm shed.

Ag advocate

Curtiss says he’s working “to seek out stories about the people who are the experts and help tell their stories in a way that a younger demographic can better relate to” and aims to span the urban-rural divide and bring awareness to agriculture, especially among younger generations who aren’t connected to farming or ranching.

“We need more advocates for our farmers. We need them. And if we don’t have more people supporting them, they’ll go out of business,” he says. “I’ve noticed a huge gap in understanding in my generation of where our food comes from and how the infrastructure was built to support that.

“I hope that by learning openly and authentically, we can help bridge the gap and give them a deeper appreciation for the things that we rely on literally every single day.”

For more information and to view content created by Jackson and Curtiss, follow John Deere on TikTok and Instagram, @JohnDeere.