The second season of "Growing Season," the online reality TV series featuring the Bartak family of Anselmo, began in September.

Bartak Brothers Farm, Inc. is featured in a weekly 12-episode series that captures the personal struggles and successes of a modern-day farm family, according to Colin Anthony of CarbonTV, an online outdoor video network on which the show appears. For the second season, cameras have been rolling at the Bartak farm since January.

The cast of "Growing Season" consists of twin brothers Joel and Bruce Bartak; Joel's sons Evan and Adam; and Bruce's sons Jeff, Blake, Zach and Tyler. Bruce Bartak is narrating the episodes in this second season.

PART OF THE CAST: Four of the Bartak crew attended Husker Harvest Days this fall. From left are Joel, Blake, Bruce and Evan.

The operation also includes three full-time employees

New episodes appear weekly until mid-December, Anthony says, although viewers can watch all previous episodes, including season one, which premiered last winter. Each episode is 10 to 13 minutes long, but to get that content requires about 15 hours of filming.

"The series shows the spider web of farming and how all pieces and jobs are interconnected," says Evan.

The Bartak operation consists of 6,000 acres, the vast majority in crop production, plus a cow-calf herd.

Episodes in the first season covered all aspects of the farming operation and the roles of each family member, including the banter among the brothers and cousins. Some of the latter ends up on the cutting room floor.

Anthony says season two, airing on Tuesday's, will focus primarily on crop production and the family's "quest for yield." Business planning and commodity marketing strategies will also be part of the episodes, as well as their use of current precision ag technologies, including variable rate irrigation, variable rate nitrogen and seeding, and irrigation soil moisture probes.

After a year of working around cameras, the Bartaks are more comfortable this time around, says Evan.

"Viewers appreciate a show that reveals how family farmers produce the food they consumer," Anthony says. "Most Americans don't understand what's all involved. It's very appealing to our viewers."

CPI (Cooperative Producers Inc.) films and produces the series in cooperation with CarbonTV. Asgrow and DEKALB financially support the series.

You can access "Growing Season" at www.carbontv.com/shows/growing-season.