Level Up: Bridging the Gap Between Gaming and Real Life

Grant Hilbert, on the left, represents a first-generation farmer, alongside his sibling, Spencer. Grant Hilbert has envisioned a farming career since childhood, spending summers at his grandparents’ farm near Algona. Today, through the earnings from his YouTube channel, Hilbert managed to accumulate sufficient funds to purchase his own farmland and has been actively farming with his brother since 2021.

Grant Hilbert was raised in Ankeny but spent summer vacations and school breaks at his grandparents’ farm in Algona. Those experiences ignited his passion to pursue farming, although he lacked the means to join the family business.

At the age of 15, Hilbert initiated a YouTube farming gaming channel from his bedroom. Named “The Squad,” the channel showcased a range of gaming content, but it quickly became apparent that Farming Simulator was the standout favorite. It operates just as its name suggests — players farm using authentic farming equipment and cultivate crops.

After Hilbert, now 26, enrolled at Iowa State University in 2016 — graduating four years later with a double major in agricultural business and economics — he achieved his milestone on graduation day with one million subscribers.

“When I started the YouTube channel during high school, I didn’t really take it seriously until my freshman year of college when I began earning income daily,” Hilbert mentioned. “I realized that I needed to create a video every day throughout my four years at college and dedicate myself to it. That’s what helped me earn money during college. By the conclusion of college, I understood it was finally achievable to purchase land.”

Thanks to the revenue from his YouTube channel, Hilbert was capable of accumulating enough funds to acquire 120 acres in Mahaska County in 2020 and additional land in Poweshiek County in 2021, totaling 250 acres valued at $1.8 million.

“I’m a first-generation farmer. I didn’t have any assistance from my family, and my father was not a farmer. However, it’s in my heritage, which definitely motivated me to pursue this career,” Hilbert remarked. “As a child, everything seemed fascinating — the machinery, the animals. But you don’t really comprehend the costs of these things.”

His younger brother, Spencer, now 24, also attended Iowa State and earned a degree in economics and finance in 2021.

The brothers decided to collaborate on the farm, and that same year, they sowed their first crop. Hilbert documented their initial steps into farming on a secondary YouTube channel titled “Grant Hilbert.” In just a few months, this second channel accrued over 100,000 subscribers.

Meanwhile, the first channel, “The Squad,” continued to entertain with Farming Simulator content, while the second channel depicted the brothers’ genuine challenges and successes as they began their farming journey.

Eventually, Hilbert sold the initial few parcels for a significant piece of farmland located near Nevada.

“We’ve been fortunate in having wonderful neighbors. One of them rents us a machinery shed — I own none of the buildings, but we plan to construct machinery storage and grain bins in the future,” Hilbert stated.

The two siblings cultivate corn, soybeans, and alfalfa. They recently acquired five head of Angus-Simmental cattle which they are raising on custom grain and pasture land. They also possess all their equipment.

“This autumn, we will take them to the FarmerGrade warehouse to sell to our customers and audience. Our YouTube viewers want to support the farm, and purchasing our products is one way to do that,” Hilbert expressed. “We know very little about beef production, and it’s definitely a steep learning curve.”

Concurrently, when they acquired the farmland in Story County, Hilbert started a software company, SquadBuilt, Inc., and in November 2023, launched American Farming, an agricultural simulation game.

“That game wasn’t tailored to the American experience, and that was our objective,” Gilbert remarked. “Our entire map is inspired by Iowa and has a quintessential Midwest vibe. We consistently provide updates. We now offer licensed Case IH and New Holland machinery for the game.”

While the brothers concentrate on producing crops on 330 acres and the additional 120 they lease, along with managing their cattle, they also aspire to enlighten others regarding agriculture and its significance. They enjoy chronicling the highs and lows of farming on social media and intend to keep expanding their YouTube channels and the Farming Simulator game, Hilbert added.