One would think 2004 Cyclone Idol Joe Hynek has had enough accomplishments thus far to boast of: His experiment with NASA approximately five years ago about zero gravity, his current “solar purse project” and of course his “Idol” fame, a success he admits he’s still reeling from.

But Hynek’s not done yet. “Farmer Song,” a musical he co-wrote with his mom, Angie, will debut this weekend at the Maintenance Shop of the Memorial Union.

“I’ve been writing songs for a long time – since high school,” Hynek said. “And basically, a lot of them were based on my farm background.”

Although Hynek said it’s a challenge to find an audience for music based on growing up on a farm, the theme continued to come up – and mom noticed.

All of these songs tell a story, she told him, if you string them together.

“The first couple of years, we kept it within our family,” Hynek said.

They’d write the material, do a reading of it themselves, then record it at home.

Eventually they approached Jane Cox, professor of music, who pointed out the play’s holes and helped them develop it further.

This past summer, they took it to the Iowa Writer’s Workshop for a reading and critique, where it was received well.

Lavonne McRoberts, junior in anthropology, will perform as Becky, the leading female role. She said she enjoyed working with the cast.

“They’re absolutely amazing,” she said.

Her character grew up living on a farm, McRoberts said, and she lives two miles down the road from her sweetheart.

“She’s a hard worker and she kind of takes after her dad in a lot of ways,” McRoberts said. “She’s persistent, stubborn and tries to keep going.”

The need to react to and cope with social change is faced by Becky and the rest of the characters in “Farmer Song.”

“When the traditional ways of doing it aren’t working, something else needs to be done,” McRoberts said.

“And change is needed to survive, to make it.”

The play deals with the challenges faced by farmers in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s set in Hynek’s hometown of Elston. There’s even a song called “Elston” in the play.

A lot of farmers went bankrupt in the ’80s, Hynek said. And as economic issues became more difficult, the family structure changed too – as the income dropped for many families, one of the breadwinners often had to get a job outside of the farm.

Through dialogue and harmonica-infused music, “Farmer Song” touches on these issues.

Things are still rough for farmers, Hynek said. The price of crops hasn’t increased for 40 years and many farmers don’t have health insurance.

“For a lot of people, it’s just not profitable to farm,” he said.

The only thing farmers have going for them, Hynek said, is technology.

Although the price of farm equipment continues to rise, more crops can be raised in the same amount of land.

The play addresses issues that for many people were tragic, but it ends on a nice, upbeat note, said Ames resident Peggy Faden, who plays Ruth Whitby in the musical.

It’s taken some of the actors and actresses some time to adjust to the style of “Farmer Song.”

“Most of us aren’t really familiar with the bluegrass rhythm style,” Faden said.

“What you might call the country twang.”

One of the funnier parts of the play, Hynek said, is when a farmer buys a Russian tractor.

“Everyone wants a John Deere,” Hynek said, “but sometimes that’s not doable. You can buy a Russian tractor for a quarter of the price. My dad actually did that. It was just awful to drive. The wheels were falling off,” he said.

Hynek’s family experiences have a lot to do with the material in “Farmer Song.” Their family band, Pumptown, composed of Hynek, his two sisters and his dad, has a style that Hynek refers to as “Jimmy Buffet meets Willie Nelson.” There’s a guitar, mandolin, harmonica, a lot of hand drums and bass.

“We take it serious,” Hynek said, “but if you’re too serious it’s no fun. We don’t make any money doing anything. What’s the point being serious?”

The feel of familiarity that comes with a family band is the same sense that “Farmer Song” is meant to appeal to.

“In every community it seems like there’s a local jam band that gets together on Saturday night to play music,” Hynek said.

“Those are the people I wrote the musical for.”