The family of Andy Detwiler, along with David Greenlee, have announced the pending publication of “The Great Folks of Champaign County, Andy Detwiler’s Story.”
The book is in final production and soon to be in print. This biographical narrative is centered on the spirit and inspiration in our community exemplified by Andy Detwiler (1969-2022).
Andy and his family created a YouTube channel in 2018, Harmless Farmer. He and his family recorded how Andy worked through life without arms.
Since 2018, over 300 videos have been created with 1,982,002.3 hours (about 226 years) of viewing time from 136,179 subscribers as of Nov. 10, 2022. Thousands of personalized comments cheered on Andy and his family. Andy read each one and responded to many.
Andy built a sincere and loving extended family of people from all over the globe. The channel documented his everyday activities with a sincerity that was endearing to his audience. His daughter, wife and family also join in and share in the down-to-earth warmth and humility exhibited in the videos. The Harmless Farmer YouTube channel has been life changing for Andy, his family, and his audience.
In 1972, Andy lost both arms in a farming accident. The accident did not stop him from achieving his goal of being a full-time farmer. We tell the story of his life through history, family, friends, neighbors, and his devoted global audience in the biography.
The author, Greenlee, is printing locally and plans on printing a limited edition of between 500 and 1,000 copies. The book is 11-by-11 inches and will be over 100 pages of text and illustrations.
