10 best people to follow if you want to learn how to be a farmer

If you’ve recently fantasized about quitting your desk job and living on a farm, you’re not alone. Farming has growing appeal.

The new generation of farmers aren’t just socially and environmentally conscious, they’re social media savvy, and the online world seems to have an insatiable hunger for the kind of romanticized farm life content these influencers are offering up.

Whether you’re seriously thinking about becoming a farmer, or just looking for a quick agrarian escape on your phone, these modern farmers are serving up the content you crave.

Hot tip: If you want to spend more time with plants and nature, but don’t want to overhaul your entire life by starting a farm, might we suggest a foray into gardening instead.

Proving that that tradition and modernity don’t always clash, fourth generation farmer Tyler Froberg is also a TikTok natural. In between farming tips and deep-dives on crops like okra and jicama, Froberg spoofs the wholesome farmer trope in videos about growing jelly beans and candy peanuts.

FYI jelly beans don’t actually come from the ground.
Credit: tiktok / farmer.froberg

Ten years ago, Melody’s family bought a 34 acre farm and started a new life in regenerative agriculture. Today, Melody hopes to inspire and educate people about sustainable farming practices through videos that demonstrate more humane conditions for their pigs and chickens.

Leah Penniman is the co-founder and director of Soul Fire, a farm in New York state dedicated to “uprooting racism and seeding sovereignty in the food system.” Penniman and her organization do this by using regenerative farming practices, training BIPOC “farmer-activists,” and building urban gardens in the area.

Soul Fire is community farming at its best.
Credit: instagram / @leahpenniman

Raised in the city of Wirral, England, Hannah Jackson fell in love with farm life when she saw a lamb being born. And now she is defying the assumptions of the male-dominated shepherding industry with her bright red hair, and just you know, the fact that she’s a woman. Also, you will be amazed at the antics she and her team of border collies get up to.

As a mother of six, Juilliard-trained ballerina, 2021 Mrs. Utah, and now—along with her husband—the proprietor of a pig farm, it’s safe to say that Hannah Neeleman is an overachiever. Follow along with this endearing family for the farmlife fantasy of your Instagram dreams.

Wholesome farm, family, fun.
Credit: instagram / @ballerinaFarm

Vermont-based farmer Morgan Shaw gives you the fully immersive farm experience by attaching tiny cameras, POV-style to various fowl. He also gives them awesome names like a rooster named “Alexander Hamilhen” and a barn cat named “Pablo Escobarn.” What’s not to love?

For the visuals alone, Niki Irving’s Instagram is worth following. Her page is a vibrant display of colorful blooms sprinkled with dew. Irving, who runs the flower farm with her husband, also offers workshops about farming and floral arrangement.

It’s hard not to smile when this shows up on your feed.
Credit: instagram / @flourishflowerfarm

In March 2020 photographer Brian Brigantti, and his partner Domonick Gravine, left city life behind and haven’t looked back. They moved to a homestead in Tennessee, where Brigantti documents their new life, and serves as an inspiration to young farmers.

We love following Brigantti’s journey into farming.
Credit: tiktok / @redleafranch

Permaculturalist, author, and teacher, Justin Rhodes shares resources about permaculture as well as his family’s own experience of living on a farm in North Carolina. Particularly compelling is his video series documenting how much food they can grow in 100 days.

Angelique Taylor and David “Kip” Ritchey (@smarterbynature)

After attending a climate march in 2015 Angelique Taylor and Kip Ritchey started thinking about restoring food systems where they live in Florida. Now they own a regenerative farm that sells produce through farmer’s markets and directly to local restaurants. One of the best parts of their content is watching how they farm using only hand tools—which means no machinery. My back is aching just looking at them.

Taylor and Ritchey are dedicated to bringing fresh produce to their local community
Credit: instagram / @smarterbynature