AUSSIE FARMER REVEALS: A CHEEKY DARE MADE ME INSTA-FAMOUS!
Ben is inspiring rural folk to get their kit off for a good cause!
When a friend dared Ben Brooksby to strip off and pose starkers in a truck filled with grain, he thought, “Why not?”
Fast forward a year and that photo has not only made the 24-year-old Insta-famous, it’s also encouraged hundreds of farmers from all corners of the globe to follow suit.
“We did it for a laugh but the photo looked amazing,” the Victorian farmer says. “It got me thinking about how awesome it would be to create an Instagram page where people from all over the world could send in funny nude photos of them on their farm or property.”
The bold move has seen him rack up close to 27,000 followers on his page The Naked Farmer and release a 2018 calendar featuring the best of the bare bunch of images. Now he’s using the platform to raise awareness of mental illness in the farming community.
“The agricultural industry has the highest rate of suicide in the world,” he says. “There isn’t enough support for farmers living in remote communities and the issue of mental health isn’t recognised enough, so I want to do everything I can to help.”
Like his Instagram page, the calendar has been a huge success, raising $5000 for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which provides treatment for people in outback communities where mental health clinics are scarce.
“I never thought I’d have so many people loving the profile and wanting to get involved,” he says. “The calendar is almost sold out. It still feels surreal.”
But the light-hearted hobby hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the farmer – especially when he h told ld his hi grandparents d about his raunchy project.
“I was pretty nervous to tell them but they thought it was hilarious,” he says, happily. “My grandma is pretty hip and she loves Instagram, so she is always liking the photos on my page and showing her friends!”
With so much success under his belt, Ben plans to hit the road with a photographer next year to raise more money by making a 2019 calendar. Ironically, he’s also in the process of designing Naked Farmer jocks.
“I can’t wait to make a great pair of briefs,” he adds.
‘My grandma is always liking the photos on my page’