Food and fibre; we simply can’t live without it. Our lives our intrinsically linked to the land — whether you hail from a big city, a rural town or a remote slice of Australia — and the George the Farmer team passionately believe that knowledge is power. Our myriad of George the Farmer resources are helping to educate and inspire the next generation — the future leaders, big thinkers, innovators, makers, fixers, creatives, teachers, policy makers and farmers.
More than 100,000 Aussie kids from the big smoke and the bush have connected to the earth, food and farm through the adventures of George the Farmer, his agronomist wife, Dr Ruby and their twin children, Lucy and Jack.
It started with a storybook
The George story began in 2012 when Founder, author and owner, Simone Kain was trawling the internet looking for farming books and apps for her farm-obsessed son, George.
The toddler was desperate to be out with Dad on the farm and Simone wanted to find something to entertain and inspire him while he was indoors. She quickly discovered there wasn't a human farming character globally who was telling sequential stories about life on the land for children, let alone a modern Aussie farmer telling real, relatable yarns.
In 2014, George the Farmer was officially launched as an interactive story app on the iTunes market, with the story quickly spilling outside storybooks and into new mediums…
Books, performances and more
Based in regional South Australia, the George the Farmer team produce fabulous picture storybooks, music, paddock-to-plate videos available to watch on YouTube and ABCTV, nationally touring performances and free curriculum-aligned educators resources that educate and inspire kids to learn about where food comes — along with how important agriculture is to our everyday lives.
There are currently 13 George the Farmer books and counting, exploring a range of farming practices – from shearing, wheat and beef cattle to honey enterprises and robotic dairy operations. In each story, George the Farmer, Dr Ruby, Jack and Lucy pitch in to come up with solutions to challenges which mirror daily farming life — with plenty of fun moments as well.
From the seeder running out of seed to struggling to get the sheep undercover before the rain sets in — the quintessentially Australian storylines delight and amuse the under ten age group and adults alike.
Alongside the popular picture books, there’s a growing number of fun, educational farm songs available on streaming platforms; eleven free Australian school curriculum-aligned teacher’s guides; a George and Ruby Farmer cuddle doll; a ‘Future Farmer’ t-shirt made out of Australian cotton; George the Farmer trucker hats and more. All products are available on the website plus through 60 national stockists.
Direct from the land
Buying from the bush is the best way you can support a regional business like George the Farmer. The George the Farmer team reinvest profits from the sale of each picture book back in to creating freely available curriculum-aligned teacher’s resources and videos which help educate children about where their food and fibre come from, all while learning about science, technology, art and maths.
Through engaging plots and bright, informative pictures, the George the Farmer team is helping to contribute to the securing of the global food supply, while striving to make a meaningful difference to the people involved in primary industries and regional and rural communities.
George the Farmer out and about
The George the Farmer brand has been featured on ABC Landline, The Project (Top 10 gifts for Christmas) and Channel 9’s Kids’ WB while also receiving national and international media coverage on radio, podcast and in print. George the Farmer can also be found on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
A stage show has been touring nationally including 70 performances at the Sydney Royal Easter Show, while 7 minute paddock to plate video episodes of George out and about on the farm are available to view via YouTube, the ABC and ABC iView.
George’s down-to-earth manner and grassroots charm resonates terrifically with young children in rural locations while inspiring city-based children to have a better understanding and connection to agriculture — vital elements for an equitable and sustainable future food supply chain.
Recognition and more
The George the Farmer brand has won numerous awards including founder Simone Kain taking out the ‘2017 Agrifutures Rural Women’s Award National Runner-up’, ‘NAB Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards Rural Entrepreneur of the Year’ and ‘Women in Technology Innovation Award’. Additionally the brand has also been awarded the ‘Google Australia Regional Online Hero’ and ‘Brand South Australia Flinders University Education Award’.
George the Farmer is 100% owned by founder, Simone Kain.