Big Farmer Andy tackles difficult questions about farm life on TikTok

Queensland’s Big Farmer Andy is one of TikTok’s newest stars with 11 million likes and more than 400,000 followers. But his authentic videos are not just cute and funny. He has a message for us all.

TikTok sensation Big Farmer Andy is taking the dairy industry online with his cute, comical and informative videos and skits.

Andy has built up a following of almost 400,000 followers on his TikTok account and reached more than 11 million likes.

Sporting a mullet against a bright blue sky with rolling pastures in the background, he introduces his followers to his everyday farm life.

He co-stars with his family of farm animals, from cows and their calves to dogs and puppies, along with a few other inanimate objects: his quad bike, tractor, and the gates around his property.

A screenshot from Big Farmer Andy's TikTok account

One of his co-stars is Pringle, a three-year-old cow, whose docile presence contrasts with Andy’s high energy. He recently dedicated 13 episodes to her.

“You’ll notice in my videos that most of the animals on our farm are quiet little ratbags and well, Pringle helps that happen,” Andy introduces in episode one of Pringle’s playlist. The video has amassed an enormous 1.1 million plays.

“You’re a real cup of tea.”

A screenshot from Big Farmer Andy's TikTok account

Andy cradles Pringle’s head and rubs her nose before she starts butting and circling around him playfully.

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“I was infatuated with the idea of eating a pringle when I named her,” he continues to explain on camera in the second episode.

In one video he answers a question from his follower Martin Enn, who asks: “I doubt you have ever been to a farm, otherwise you would know that the animals are not there at their own will and are violated”.

A screenshot from Big Farmer Andy's TikTok account

Andy responds by asking Pringle sarcastically in a video: “This isn’t even a farm, is it?”

Big Farmer Andy is no stranger to confronting farm myths and humorously plays against comments brought in by viewers, around the treatment of cows.

“You can’t be any more transparent than filming an animal. I can’t control what the cows and calves do. I can’t make them stand in a certain way,” he said in an interview with Australian Farmers, a digital publication.

Andy’s not just a comical face; he puts on serious moments for issues he sees in his community. Since he started making TikToks, he has used the continuing growth of his golden mullet to draw awareness and raise money for mental health.

“I want people to know there are others out there facing the same things. And there are others out there who are willing to listen and who want to help,” he told Australian Farmers.

Big Farmer Andy is waving his mullet to raise awareness for mental health and the Black Dog Institute.

Along with his mullet he also draws attention to the mundane and everyday life of dairy farming: the daily milking schedule, the cows, the weeds and the ins and outs of what it really is like to be a dairy farmer.

“You get some people who believe dairy farmers are bloodthirsty maniacs. That couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.

“Dairy cattle have very generous lives where they are well fed and kept in a clean environment. They have to be. If you want to have a good result for your farm, your animals have to be in tip-top shape.’’

Prepare to be enlightened and entertained by the funny, soothing, warm and fuzzy, and occasionally serious topics Big Farmer Andy tackles on TikTok at @big_farmer_andy.

Originally published as Big Farmer Andy tackles difficult questions about farm life on TikTok