A year in review with The Farmer magazine

At The Farmer magazine, we pride ourselves on bringing you the most timely, engaging and important stories at the cutting-edge of agriculture, policy, trade, innovation, community and technology.

As we bid farewell to another eventful year in agriculture, we take a look back at some of the most popular stories from 2023: from the perils of mushroom foraging to the rise of agritourism, to the charismatic TikTok farmer hailing from Walcha to the enduring legacy of the Suttor family.

Deadly mushrooms

mushroom foraging posinous amanita — The Amanita muscaria (or ‘fly agaric’) mushroom is famously good looking – but can be very toxic, even to touch.

This year, a poisoning incident put mushrooms back under the spotlight – with experts and industry growers once again warning the public on safety matters when foraging. In this article, the Australian Mushroom Grower’s Association shares some important ‘dos and don’ts’ for consuming mushrooms safely.

Farmer wants a tourist

It has become easier for farmers to diversify their income by running agritourism experiences, such as farm stays, cafes, cellar doors, retreats, roadside stalls, fruit picking and small wedding venues.

Agritourism options have boomed this year in response to land use changes that enable NSW landowners to offer farmstay accommodation and camping, as well as value-adding to farm businesses. Check out some of the ways farmers are embracing this rise in agritourism on their properties.

Tractor talk

Chris Holmes has more than 100 tractors in his collection.

For Chris Holmes – and many farmers – his beloved tractor is an integral part of operations that handles a lion’s share of the work. We dive into a short history of Australian tractors, and look at the future of tractors and farming machinery.

The TikTok famous farmer

As fame started flowing through TikTok, Jack progressed to creating content on Instagram, and now he receives branding opportunities from companies wanting to advertise their products via his channels.

It’s only fitting that a true blue Aussie larrikin, Jack Archdale from Walcha in Northern New South Wales, has risen to stardom in just a short year. His success is all thanks to an app called TikTok, and he’s taking to the term content creation like a bull in a china shop.

We hope you enjoyed The Farmer magazine stories this year, and we’re looking forward to bringing you even more top reads in 2024.