What Does A Farmer Look Like? Meet the Real Faces of Australian Farming
What does a farmer look like?
It's a simple question, but one that led me on an incredible journey across Australia photographing more than 100 farming families and creating my first coffee table book.
As both a farmer and photographer, I wanted to challenge the outdated stereotypes surrounding Australian agriculture and show people the real faces behind the food and fibre we rely on every day.
The Inspiration Behind What Does A Farmer Look Like?
The idea began after a conversation on Twitter about the perception of women in agriculture and the stereotypes surrounding farmers.
Curious, I searched Google for "What does a farmer look like?"
The results were disappointing.
Page after page showed older men wearing bib-and-brace overalls, holding pitchforks or chewing straw. As someone who has worked in agriculture my entire life, I knew those images didn't represent the modern farming industry.
I certainly didn't see myself.
At the same time, I realised that the only farming stories regularly appearing in mainstream media were about drought, floods, bushfires or controversy. While these challenges are real, they don't tell the full story of Australian agriculture.
Behind every farm is a family, a business and people who genuinely care about producing quality food while looking after the land.
That's the story I wanted to tell.
Photographing Farmers Across Australia
I launched the What Does A Farmer Look Like? project through social media, inviting farmers to share their stories. The response was overwhelming.
Over the next 18 months I travelled thousands of kilometres, photographing more than 100 Australian farmers and farming families from every corner of the country.
The project includes an incredible range of agricultural industries, including:
- Sheep and cattle producers
- Grain growers
- Dairy farmers
- Orchardists
- Oyster farmers
- Beekeepers
- Mango growers
- Citrus producers
- Peanut farmers
- Pumpkin growers
- Apple and cherry orchards
Every farm was different.
Every family had its own story.
And every visit reinforced one simple truth.
There is no single image that represents an Australian farmer.
Modern Australian Farmers Are Changing Agriculture
One of the biggest surprises throughout the project wasn't the diversity of farming enterprises...it was the diversity of the people themselves.
I met young families building successful farming businesses, women leading agricultural enterprises, innovative producers embracing new technology, children already passionate about farming and multi-generational families working together to build a sustainable future.
These weren't the stereotypes portrayed online.
They were intelligent business owners, innovators, environmental custodians and hardworking Australians who genuinely love what they do.
Again and again, I heard the same message.
Farming is challenging, but producing quality food and fibre while caring for the land brings enormous satisfaction.
Why It's Important to Share Positive Farming Stories
Many Australians no longer have a direct connection to farming.
For generations, people knew someone who lived or worked on a farm. Today, that's becoming less common, making it more important than ever to help bridge the gap between city and country.
Photography has the power to tell stories that words alone cannot.
My goal with What Does A Farmer Look Like? has always been to help people connect with the people behind Australian agriculture... to show the faces, families and businesses responsible for producing the food on our tables and the fibre we wear every day.
When people understand farmers, they also gain a greater appreciation for where their food comes from.
The What Does A Farmer Look Like? Coffee Table Book
I've always dreamed of publishing a coffee table book showcasing my photography.
Creating What Does A Farmer Look Like? allowed me to do much more than that.
The book celebrates the diversity of Australian farming while helping challenge outdated perceptions of who farmers are.
It's a collection of real people, real farms and real stories from across Australia, capturing the resilience, innovation and passion that exists throughout our agricultural industry.
So... What Does a Farmer Look Like?
A farmer might be a young woman running a broadacre cropping operation.
A family harvesting pumpkins in northern Australia.
A dairy farmer advocating for diversity in agriculture.
A child who already knows they want to return to the family farm.
A fourth-generation sheep producer.
A beekeeper.
An oyster farmer.
A mango grower.
The answer is simple... A farmer looks like all sorts of people.
My hope is that What Does A Farmer Look Like? encourages more people to appreciate Australian farmers, learn where their food comes from, and see agriculture through a different lens.
Because behind every meal, every fibre and every farm gate is a story worth telling.
The book is available to purchase here: Coffee Table Books – Kim Storey Photographer
