Simon Holmes and Paul Tsorbaris don their flannelette shirts at the Aussie Hotel in Shepparton, during last year’s fundraising efforts.
This August, throw on your favourite flannelette shirt, grab a beer and stand in solidarity with Aussie farmers.
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The official ‘Flanno for a Farmer’ day is Friday, August 15, but charity Farm Angels is encouraging Australians to support farming families in need throughout the entire month of August.
While farmers continue to feed the nation, battle droughts, bushfires, floods and isolation, many farmers feel undervalued and unappreciated.
The funds raised from ‘Flanno for a Farmer’ go towards providing essential emotional support, financial assistance, food hampers, care packs and personalised support to thousands of farming families across Australia.
Dave Cunningham, Travis Fimmel and Andrew Walker.
Photo by
Jordan Townrow
Farm Angels founder Natasha Johnston said backing farmers had never been more important.
“Too often, our farmers are struggling in silence. They’re out there doing one of the toughest jobs in the country, yet many feel forgotten,” she said.
“Flanno for a Farmer is about saying, ‘We see you. We appreciate you. And we’ve got your back’.
“Every dollar raised helps us provide real, practical support for those who need it most.”
Australian beer company travla — founded by Travis Fimmel and Andy Allen — is returning to support Flanno for a Farmer day again with 100 per cent of profits from beers sold on the day going to the charity.
“I have got the same mentality of all these farmers — I have seen a lot of friends and family go through stresses of farming and it feels like one of the hardest things to do is being a farmer in Australia,” Mr Fimmel told Country News before the 2024 event.
“Sometimes you feel that what country people — including the farmers in part — have forgotten about, is that they are the real core of Australia in a lot of ways.
“Our whole country was built on agriculture, and we still are dependent on it, and I want people to be aware of the struggles farmers go through.”
Ongoing challenges and the increasing number of natural disasters occurring in Australia means many farmers face the devastating risk of losing their livelihoods, and in some cases their lives.
According to a 2021 study, Australia loses one farmer to suicide every 10 days — 59 per cent higher than the rate among non-farmers.
Many farmers impacted by natural disasters can take three to five years to recover from the financial, physical and emotional devastation.
‘Flanno for a Farmer’ is aiming to raise $500,000 this year.
Farming is one of the highest-risk jobs for suicide in Australia – similar to construction.
Over 80 per cent have been affected by environmental factors and natural disasters in the last five years.
Nearly half of Australian farmers have felt depressed.
Close to half of Australian farmers have had thoughts of self harm or suicide, with a third actually attempting it.
One in five Aussie farmers report feeling completely defeated and wanting to give up following a natural disaster event.
27 per cent of farmers say feelings of loneliness or isolation, combined with limited access to mental health services have had the biggest impact on their mental health over the past five years.
There are over 200,000 farmers nationwide.
One farmer dies by suicide every 10 days.
Suicide rate among farmers is almost 59 per cent higher than non-farmers.
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