Kiwi Farmer Attracts Global Audience

Global interest in New Zealand farming practices and principles is growing thanks to a North Canterbury farmer.

Oxford-based sheep-and-beef farmer Alistair Bird – known online as Kiwi Farmer – is educating farmers around the world via his YouTube channel. Based on the realities of farming in NZ, he has already amassed an audience of more than 10,300 subscribers since launching last year.

Bird says there is a significant interest from overseas farmers in how Kiwis operate their farms from a practical perspective.

“No matter where you are in the world, there’s a shared comradery with farmers,” Bird says. “The YouTube channel is a great way of sharing my knowledge, as well as receiving suggestions and advice from others around the world.

“Approximately 60% of my audience is based overseas – in countries such as Ireland, Australia and the USA– which confirms there is a genuine interest in how we do things in NZ and how we run our farms.”

The Kiwi Farmer channel is also attracting the attention of international farming corporations and Bird has recently signed a sponsorship deal with agritech company Te Pari, a global livestock equipment manufacturer based in Oamaru.

As part of the sponsorship deal, Bird received a Te Pari Lenta MX3 Cattle Crush. The state-of-the art crush allows the farmer to access and treat cattle safely and securely from a single position. Mandatory electronic identification (EID) tags on the animal are read through an EID tag reader, providing real-time insights into the health and performance of individual livestock.

“As a one-man band, a cattle crush like this makes handling and treating cattle both safer and more efficient,” Bird adds. “With features such as the integrated EID reader it’s possible for tasks like recording EID tags and cattle weights, to be done instantly and seamlessly.”

Te Pari marketing manager Corban Blampied says Bird is a classic example of a forward-thinking Kiwi farmer.

“Alistair is your typical hard-working Kiwi bloke,” Blampied says. “He’s an inspiring person for the next generation of farmers, and through his online channel he provides an honest and positive look at what it’s really like to work in the NZ agriculture industry.”

Children and teenagers aspiring to work in the industry are among Bird’s emerging audience.

“I’ve always created content that’s friendly to a wide audience,” Bird explains. “I’ve had some parents reach out and say their five- and six-year-olds actively wait and watch the videos once they’re released. It’s been great to expose them to the many pathways within farming.”

Students from Oxford Area School and Lincoln University also visit Bird’s Oxford farm – The Grange – to learn more about agriculture. The fourth-generation Cantabrian farmer is currently stewarding more than 100 cows and 1600 ewes across 625 hectares.

Bird says connecting the urban and rural communities is now more important than ever.

“That was one of the motivations for launching the YouTube channel – there's always been an element of misunderstanding between rural and urban,” he says. “I remember hearing a few years ago only 16% of New Zealanders still had direct ties, through family, to rural NZ and farms. We rely on the land to produce our livelihood and it’s about looking after it for the future generations.”

Bird regularly shares video content to his Kiwi Farmer YouTube channel.

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