49ers QB Brock Purdy surprises central Iowa farmer with hot meals courtesy of John Deere

A central Iowa farmer and his family were surprised by San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy with hot meals courtesy of John Deere, which recently released a video of the encounter online.

Corey Hillebo is a fifth-generation farmer from Polk City, where he farms corn, soybeans and raises pigs. Hillebo is also a multi-generational Iowa State Cyclones supporter who graduated from ISU in 2010.

“My parents, my brother and I have all graduated from Iowa State,” Hillebo, 37, said. “We’ve been longtime season ticket holders for the football program, so it’s safe to say we’re all big ISU fans here.”

So, you can only imagine the excitement and shock he felt when Iowa State legend Brock Purdy showed up on his family’s farm alongside Jackson Laux, a 10-year-old farming influencer behind the social media accounts Just a Jackson Thing, which have more than 1.3 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.

Hillebo, who cohosts the Farm4Profit podcast with nearly 64,000 subscribers on YouTube, is sponsored by John Deere and has collaborated with Laux in the past. He said the day he was surprised by Purdy, the plan was to initially meet with Laux and shoot some content for the podcast.

49ers QB Brock Purdy surprises central Iowa farmer with hot meals courtesy of John Deere — Brock Purdy, left, and Iowa farmer Corey Hillebo at his family’s farm in Polk City during the summer of 2025.

When the day came, and Hillebo saw dozens of John Deere staff arrive at the farm hauling all kinds of different cameras and equipment, he knew he was in for something bigger.

“Before [Purdy] arrived, a director came in and kind of gave us the rundown of what was going on; he didn’t say who was here, but he just said to act natural and do your thing,” he said. “Pretty soon after, one of the doors to the facility we were in opened up, and in came Brock Purdy carrying a John Deere cooler with Jackson.”

“We were all just starstruck,” he said. “I was speechless for a while.”

The surprise visits are part of John Deere’s Field Meals initiative to celebrate farmers during harvest. As part of the campaign, Purdy and Laux surprised farmers across the U.S. with hot meals to honor the work they do.

Hillebo said the meal they were provided consisted of a brisket sandwich, half an ear of corn on the cob and a peach pastry for dessert.

Videos of Purdy and Laux on the road are available on John Deere’s social media pages. Hillebo said the John Deere crew shot some footage of Purdy interacting with him and his family. He said they spent about 45 minutes with him discussing his recently signed contract extension and the possibility of him purchasing some Iowa farmland in the future.

He said Purdy took pictures with him and his family and even autographed a Hillebo Family Farms sign.

“It was a great conversation with him, and you could just tell he’s very down to earth,” he said. “Brock is still a champion for Iowa State, and we love to see that he still comes back and supports the community.”

Brock Purdy 2025-26 stats

After starting his team’s season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 7, Purdy has missed the team’s next two games with a turf toe injury. It is uncertain whether the 25-year-old will return for the 49ers’ Week 4 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

More: What is turf toe? More on the injury keeping 49ers QB Brock Purdy sidelined for 2-5 weeks

Purdy had an up-and-down performance in the win against the Seahawks, completing 26-of-35 passes for 277 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added five rushes for 17 yards.

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: 49ers QB Brock Purdy, John Deere surprise Iowa farmers with hot meals