Serving Barnwell County and its neighbors since 1852
An Allendale farming family saw their farm featured on one of the biggest stages in advertising — the Super Bowl.
Rachael Sharp, farm manager for Sharp & Sharp Certified Seed, and her father, Don C. Sharp III, are the focus of one of several OpenAI commercials airing during Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Feb. 8, spotlighting small businesses that use artificial intelligence (AI). OpenAI is an AI research organization that develops various applications, such as ChatGPT.
“Chat GPT has been such a great addition to our farm — from planting to spraying to hauling, we’ve found countless ways to integrate this technology into our operation! ChatGPT keeps records straight and remembers what I can’t,” said Rachael.
FROM FIELD TO SCREEN
On March 26, 2025, which happened to be her birthday, Clemson University invited Rachael speak on a panel about agricultural technology in Columbia at the S.C. Farmers Market.
“I briefly mentioned using ChatGPT,” said Rachael, who uses the chatbot to map parts of the farm and keep planting logs.
That everyday use of technology would soon put Sharp on OpenAI’s radar.
In October 2025, she got a call from a lady who said she worked for OpenAI. Rachael hung up the phone thinking it was a spam call. The lady called back and explained how the company heard Sharp had been using ChatGPT on her farm and wanted to talk to everyday people who use ChatGPT.
In November 2025, several OpenAI employees along with freelancers from the Savannah College of Art and Design traveled from all over the country to Allendale. The visit took place as the Sharps were harvesting peanuts and soybeans on their 2,000-acre farm.
The crew spent two and a half days following the Sharps and their employees to capture what it’s like on a working farm.
“They were troopers,” said Rachael of the crew who had to deal with a lot of dust during their 12-hour days. “A lot of them had never been on a row crop farm.”
The Sharps took the crew to eat lunch at the Allendale County Hospital. While they were skeptical, she said everyone wanted to return there the next day.
The result is a two-and-a-half-minute video that OpenAI will use on various platforms to promote its technology.
“I love that it shows what we’re doing on the farm. They told us to go about our day. It’s non-scripted and non-rehearsed. The commercial is a good example of what a day on the farm is like,” said Rachael.
It wasn’t until a week ago that the Sharps found out a shorter version would air in some regions of the country during the Super Bowl, said Rachael, who was excited to see it.
A NEW GENERATION
“Part of that transition means learning the systems, calculations, and judgment her dad has built over 75 years. To stay on top of it all, the Sharps use ChatGPT as a practical, everyday tool - checking calculations, planning tasks, troubleshooting issues, and keeping the day-to-day work organized as demands grow,” according to an overview of the video provided by OpenAI.
Rachael first started using ChatGPT on the farm to troubleshoot what was wrong with a peanut combine. Analyzing a photo Sharp uploaded, the AI chatbot pinpointed the proper tool to fix the issue.
“Farming is one of the last places you might think to use it,” said Rachael of AI.
In addition to troubleshooting equipment issues, the Sharps use ChatGPT to log records.
“I can tell it to log whatever I’m doing on the field,” she said.
The Sharps can then have the AI chatbot calculate how many loads of peanuts they harvested for the season or even create documents and spreadsheets for reporting purposes.
“It’s more time-saving than anything. The last thing I want to do at the end of the day is paperwork,” said Rachael, who acknowledged AI makes mistakes and is “not a good fit for everything on the farm.”
While ChatGPT provides valuable resources, it can’t replace her father’s 60 years of farming experience.
“I wouldn’t be able to do this without Daddy and the knowledge he has,” she said. “It’s been interesting the last 10 years to watch what he does and take it all in.”
Though she never planned to return home after college, where she majored in English, Rachael is now excited to continue the family’s farming legacy.
“I love it out here. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It’s never boring out here,” said Rachael.
“Farming is tough, but farmers are tougher,” said Don, who is glad his daughter is back on the farm.
GROWING AWARENESS
The Sharps are grateful to OpenAI for spotlighting their family and farm. They hope the commercial will raise awareness about the importance of agriculture.
“There is a lot of disconnect between the farm and table. People don’t know a lot about where their food comes from,” said Rachael.
Her mother Julie, a retired elementary school teacher, once asked her students where their food comes from. After a student said the store, Rachael said her mother started taking students to the family farm to learn exactly where their food comes from.
“A lot of kids don’t realize peanuts grow under the ground,” said Rachael.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are about 1.9 million farms operating across the United States, though it’s a declining number. That’s approximately 2% of the U.S. population. In South Carolina, farming is the number one industry. While there used to be 200 certified seed farmers in South Carolina, Sharp & Sharp Certified Seed is one of only six left.
“Food security is national security,” said Rachael.
She hopes the commercial sparks interest in people learning more about agriculture. In addition to raising awareness and hopefully inspiring some future farmers, Rachael said she hopes the commercial will encourage farmers to get out of their comfort zones and try new technology.
“I think this publicity is a good thing for not only South Carolina but agriculture in general.”
By blending decades of farming knowledge with modern tools, Sharp is helping show that the future of agriculture can honor the past while embracing what comes next.
