Top 5 Books for Farmers This Summer

The best farming books for your summer reading

After a day working outside in the sweltering summer heat, it may be tempting to collapse in bed with the air conditioning on full blast at 5pm. However, an even better way to unwind (while still spending time with loved ones) is relaxing with a good book — and you might be surprised how many amazing books about farming and agriculture you can find.

Get tangled up in the thrill of an outback murder mystery or learn something new about sustainable farming trends with Farmbuy.com's curated list of must-read books for farmers.

1. The Lost Man by Jane Harper

Dig your heels in with another incredible crime fiction novel by Jane Harper. Set in the unrelenting heat of the Queensland outback, The Lost Man is centred around the Bright family and the buried secrets of their past.

As Nathan and Bub Bright mourn the death of their brother, Cameron, they are forced to confront the circumstances around his death. What troubled him enough to walk to his death? Was it a simple loss of hope, or something else? The isolated outback leaves few suspects.

Deeply unsettling and incredibly suspenseful, this novel will keep you hooked until the final page. Harper’s character-driven writing makes for an emotionally gripping tale that goes beyond your typical murder mystery.

2. Dark Emu by Bruce Pascoe

Take a dive into the past with some historical non-fiction. Bruce Pascoe sets out to persuade his readers that generalising all precolonial Aboriginal Australian societies as 'hunter-gatherer' in nature is an oversimplification of the past, a convenient lie created to justify the violence of settler colonialism.

Working directly from the diaries of early explorers, photos and other primary documents, Pascoe reveals the complexities of Aboriginal agricultural practices. From sustainable land management and plant domestication to fishing technology and irrigation systems, Dark Emu strives to disprove this long-standing historical falsehood.

Pascoe also extends children the opportunity to learn about Australia's true history with the publication of Younger Dark Emu. Covering the same issues for younger audiences, the book functions as a challenge to oversimplified conceptions of precolonial Australia.

3. Terra Nullius by Claire G. Coleman

Explore colonial Australia from a different angle with Claire G. Coleman’s debut novel. Terra Nullius addresses the legacies of colonisation by first casting its readers back to the moment of British arrival, before propelling them into a distant future.

The narrative is split into two perspectives, the Natives and the Settlers. Switching between them demonstrates the palpable tension between their ideological and cultural differences, and how this is headed towards a turbulent and violent climax. In the arid landscape of Western Australia, Coleman’s delicate but intense prose crafts a scathing commentary about invasion and dispossession.

Self-described as speculative fiction, Terra Nullius is a breathtaking original work that engages its readers from start to finish.

4. Eat Like A Fish by Bren Smith

Face the future and contemplate this climate change policy proposed by Bren Smith in his recent memoir. Working from his own past as a commercial fisherman, Smith weaves into his anecdotes suggestions about a sustainable diet and advice on ocean farming for a collective future.

At the core of his proposals is one plant: seaweed. Shifting food economies away from meat-farms to seaweed-farms is one way to address one of the main causes of climate change. Simultaneously maintaining healthy consumption and reducing methane production, deforestation, and overfishing can seem like a Herculean task. But Smith is certain we could do it if we adopt this new “climate cuisine.”

Humour and swagger characterise Smith’s novel, his tone enhancing the arguments of his actionable policies. Immerse yourself in the compelling lines of one man’s climate proposition.

5. The Naked Farmer by Ben Brooksby

Reading doesn’t always have to be about adventuring into the past or contemplating solutions for the future. Sometimes, the best journeys are those taken closer to home.

Only recently has mental health been destigmatized as a topic both conversationally and academically. Ben Brooksby is a fifth-generation farmer in Western Victoria who has always struggled with anxiety and his mental health in general. His life changed after he shared an Instagram photo of himself naked where he opened up about his issues.

Since then, a number of farmers have joined him in sharing their own photos and their own stories, starting the Naked Farmer movement. Describing themselves as a group of “Aussie farmers with the guts to take their gear off and to talk about their mental health,” this book is a moving and candid collection of stories about everyday challenges Australian farmers are facing, and how their communities are responding.