Whiz Kid: Bet the Farm - Indianapolis Monthly

Photo by Porch Moon Photography

JACKSON LAUX—aka Jackson Farmer—isn’t your typical TikTok star. On an app famous for dancing and makeup tutorials, the 9-year-old entertains some 900,000 followers on a channel called Just a Jackson Thing, comprised mostly of videos in which he shows off agricultural vehicles and his toy collection and opines about the splendors of farm life. He and his parents, Jessica and Joe Laux, live surrounded by land his uncles and grandfather work in the microscopic Northern Indiana town of South Whitley. His fame came out of nowhere after he was a bit player in a video his cousin made in November 2023. For reasons only the algorithm understands, the video promptly blew up.

“We talked to Jackson about whether he wanted to keep doing it, and he did,” Jessica says. “It just went on from there.” Dressed in his standard jeans, farm shirt, and red trucker cap, Jackson has an authoritative, grandfatherly tone in his videos, incongruous with someone barely old enough to drive a riding mower, let alone the hulking combines he moons over. It’s that wise-beyond-his-years vibe that anchors bemused parents are willing, for now, to let his fame play out. It’s so far earned him a spot on Today, a meet-and-greet at the Indiana State Fair, and, perhaps inevitably, interest from agricultural outfits like Stine Seed Company, which flew Jackson to its Iowa headquarters via private jet. “We don’t really have any future plans for it,” Jessica says. “It’s him having fun. We’re blown away by the love that he’s been shown. We just hope it continues to be a positive place for him to share and teach others about farming.”

Indianapolis Monthly staffers are among Jackson’s fans, and we couldn’t wait to chat with the pint-sized sodbuster.

What do you want your followers to learn about country life and farming?

I hope that they enjoy the videos, first off. In some of the comments people have left, they said it cheers up their day. So besides teaching people about farm life, that’s the other thing I try to do. I want them to like what I do, and I want to like doing what I do.

Do you get recognized a lot?

When I was at the Indiana State Fair, I was riding on the Skyride and got recognized by a guy in another chair going in the opposite direction. We live in a small town, but the other day I walked into a Dollar General and was recognized by another kid. I also got recognized while I was in a women’s clothing store with my mama. But it’s not a usual thing.

Why do you think you’ve gotten so popular?

I really don’t know. I’m just going to go with it.

When did you realize tractors were your thing?

They’ve just been a part of my life from the very beginning. I think I always kind of loved them.

So do you work on the farm equipment yourself?

I’m getting there. I haven’t torn a complete motor down, but I’ve torn a weed eater motor down.

We have to assume you plan to be a farmer one day … ?

Yeah. I’m already trying to get started at this moment in time. I’m trying right now to save up for the right equipment. Maybe a combine, but that’s going to be a little hard to come by. They can cost a lot, but one for my size would probably be around $2,500.

How long do you think you’ll stay on TikTok?

Probably until I’m in my teens. After that, I just want to be a full-time farmer and live my life out in the country.