West Bend, WI – There are celebrities among us. The Schmidt family of Schmidt Century Farm, 5485 Saint Anthony Road in West Bend, WI, has gone from their quiet daily life on the farm to the national spotlight as the stars of a new Tractor Supply commercial.
For Deanna Schmidt, the whole experience started with a phone call.
“We got the call and an email from the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association that we’re members of,” Schmidt said. “They asked if I’d be interested in being part of a Tractor Supply commercial. I said, ‘Heck yeah.’”
The production company, Rabbit Foot, scouted several farms in Washington County. Wi, before choosing the Schmidts.
“Our typical process is meeting with a few different folks in the area who represent the ethos and core values of the client,” said executive producer Sam Chortek.
“Tractor Supply’s motto is Life Out Here, so we wanted to find folks who embody that—blue-collar, get-your-hands-dirty, small family farm living. We looked at seven or eight operations in the West Bend area, but the Schmidts really rose to the top. Their property had so much variety, and they’re just amazing people to work with.”
The film crew spent two weeks preparing and one very long 18-hour day shooting at the Schmidt farm, followed by additional days at another rural site and a Tractor Supply store in Hartford.
“What shocked me the most was how many people there were,” Deanna said. “Everyone had their own tiny role. Trucks, tents, equipment everywhere. They even had design folks, dog handlers, and food stylists—one of them was getting her master’s in fine arts. I thought, wow, such an interesting combination of people all coming together for our little farm.”
Despite the scale, the instructions to the Schmidts were simple: Just be yourselves.
“They said, ‘Show us around and we’ll decide if we choose your farm,’” Deanna said. “When it came time to film, I probably sipped the same cup of coffee 20 times. They brushed my hair, adjusted my ponytail, made sure the dog was in the right spot. It was amazing how many people it took to make one short scene.”
Even off-camera, the Schmidts made a lasting impression.
“Anything we asked for, they had an answer,” Chortek said. “They let us tear up part of the back property for an ATV scene, opened their garage, even brought in Deanna’s dad to help with an oil change on camera. And when our producer, who was six months pregnant, needed a hand, Deanna—being a midwife—stepped right in. She also catered for our entire 50-person crew from their new commercial kitchen. Truly incredible.”
The finished product will be just a handful of short ads: two 30-second commercials and three 15-second spots. But Chortek said the material they captured could have filled an entire documentary. “If you looked up ‘classic farm family’ in the dictionary, you’d see the Schmidts,” he said.
Deanna admitted she’s curious to see how many locals recognize them when the ads begin airing nationally in the coming weeks.
“I think people will probably recognize Roger and Rodee the most,” she said. “Rodee was wearing red, so he really stood out. Me? Maybe not so much. But it’ll be interesting to see if people come up to me in the wild and say, ‘I saw you on TV.’”
You can meet the TV stars by shopping The Farm Store at Schmidt Century Farm. Open 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The Schmidt’s welcome you to tour their farm during a free open house October 5, 2025.
