AgriPix

28/08/2026

Presenting our newest (award-winning) Featured Photographer, Patrick Prior

It’s an absolute privilege to be able to showcase the work of this very talented and dedicated young South Australian photographer and videographer.

And he’s humble too, not mentioning in the bio he prepared for this blog that he unanimously won the SA Emerging Cinematographer Award at the 2023 SA & WA Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS) Awards.

Patrick tells the rest of his story…

“I started taking photos back in 2016 when I was 16 years old, growing up on our farm in Hamilton, South Australia.

Picking up a camera was just a way to capture the landscape and nature right outside my front door.

Being completely self-taught in those early days meant a lot of trial and error, but it built a strong foundation and love for capturing the world.

Over time, that shifted into what remains my favourite subject: portraits in nature.

Studio lighting and backdrop setups can be great, but there’s something unmatched about capturing someone grounded in a real space.

A portrait of a person outdoors framed by nature tells a story instantly.

My path eventually led me to Flinders University, where I studied Screen and graduated with a Bachelor of Creative Arts in 2022.

Moving into motion picture work refined how I view light and frame stories, and it completely shaped how I choose my gear for different jobs:

For Video I rely on the Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2. It’s a pure, full-manual cinema camera that forces you to be intentional with every decision.

For Stills my personal choice is a Sony a7III paired with a vintage Helios 44-2 lens. Threading on a manual 1970s lens brings back swirly bokeh, soft flare, and subtle optical imperfections that give the image character.

Transitioning from farm landscapes as a teenager to working professionally behind the lens across South Australia has been a continuous journey I look forward to continuing into the future.”

We’re sure you will and wish you all the best mate!



Images: Patrick Prior

13/08/2026

Australian Beef in 2026: what’s ahead in the pasture

In our last beef blog, we saw how genetics provided a significant boost to the early Aussie cattle industry.

The development of breeds better suited to harsh northern Aussie conditions was a windfall for production.

And it’s really paying off in 2026.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) have forecast the national herd will remain over 30 million head, with 9.45 million to be slaughtered (the highest since 1978) producing a record 2.9 million tonnes of beef.

But a big question facing producers now is what will my pasture be looking like this growing season?

ABARES expects cattle prices to ease in 2026–27 and reports that variable rainfall is already limiting pasture prospects in parts of eastern Australia.

By now every cattle grower would have heard the Bureau of Meteorology’s (BOM) announcement that El Niño is firmly established and strengthening.

And they also would have heard the ominous prediction that this event could strengthen into a strong to very strong El Niño that could peak late-spring or summer.

While traditionally associated with drier conditions across eastern Australia, BOM stresses that even a strong El Niño doesn't automatically produce equally severe impacts across the country.

And this matters because Australia doesn't have one cattle-growing season.

Its beef regions can be broadly grouped into several different pasture-growing patterns, with considerable overlap between them.

The tropical north relies heavily on summer wet-season growth, while inland Queensland and northern NSW depend strongly on less reliable summer rainfall.

Temperate southeastern pastures often peak in spring, while Mediterranean regions of southwestern WA rely heavily on winter and spring growth.

So a national seasonal outlook can conceal very different regional decisions.

Rainfall expectations affect carrying capacity, restocking demand and the pressure to turn cattle off.

A Queensland restocker contemplating summer pasture could face a completely different risk from a southern producer assessing winter feed.

“The impact of every El Niño is different,” says BOM, and historically some Australian regions can receive above-average rainfall even during an El Niño year.

Independent forecaster Cynoptec offers an interesting alternative perspective.

Rather than treating the El Niño label as the forecast, its long-range modelling identifies regional rainfall phases and timing up to eight months ahead.

Cynoptec argues that warm waters around Australia and other regional influences could produce important rainfall windows despite the powerful Pacific El Niño signal.

For producers, that's potentially a more useful question than simply asking whether Australia will be dry: when will rain arrive in my region, and will it arrive during the months when my pasture can actually use it?

References:
Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) — Australian Cattle Industry Projections 2026
ABARES — Agricultural Commodities: June Quarter 2026
ABARES — Weekly Update, 2 July 2026
Bureau of Meteorology — El Niño and Australia's climate
Cynoptec — Long-range forecasting



Image: AgriPix.com.au

11/08/2026

Beef Production in Australia: vastly different landscapes supporting one industry

Aussie beef production is one of our largest agricultural enterprises with a national herd of over 30 million head.

Fun fact: about 47% of the continent in 2026 is classified as grazing native vegetation used by cattle and sheep.

But back in early 19th Century the national herd was tiny by comparison and there was demand for pastoral expansion to grow settlements and build commercial opportunities.

So pastoralists began to spread out from NSW in search of good new grazing ground.

These cattle were nearly all European Bos ta**us stock, like the red, white or roan Shorthorn and later the red-bodied white-faced Hereford.

Pastoralists needed to find more pasture and moved large numbers of cattle from NSW into Queensland's Darling Downs, then pushed rapidly west and north from about 1840.

By the 1860s, Gregory Downs and Floraville stations were operating way up in the Gulf Country.

Roughly a quarter of the national herd was now in Queensland by 1870 and large stations were spreading into the NT, Gulf and Kimberley.

And they were still predominantly Bos ta**us European breeds.

The conditions in these remote northern regions are vastly different, featuring drastic seasonal swings from the thirsty Dry to monsoonal flooding that brought new challenges the pastoralists’ European ancestors had never faced: heat, ticks, internal worms, drought and poor seasonal nutrition.

But the northern cattlemen persisted for decades trying to make their temperate European breeds fit the tropical environment.

Inevitably they figured out it was a better idea to adapt the cattle to the environment instead of adapting the environment to the cattle.

Enter the Bos indicus breeds.

The United States had faced similar challenges with European breeds and had experimented with Bos indicus breeds imported from India, developing the American Brahman.

A major turning point was when 18 American Brahman, nine bulls and nine cows, plus one Santa Gertrudis bull were brought to Queensland from Texas in 1933 in the first notable importation of the breed.

Scientific trials soon began on northern stations that demonstrated the Brahman genetics were better suited to northern conditions.

Further imports followed in the early 1950s and the Australian Brahman was developed over the next few decades.

Meanwhile, the CSIRO experimented with a tropical breeding program at Belmont, near Rockhampton, and eventually developed the Belmont Red by combining genetics from Afrikaner, Hereford and Shorthorn breeds.

Over the next few decades, Brahman, Brahman-derived and Belmont Red cattle increasingly transformed northern cattle production into the profitable industry it is today.

This is a story of a remarkable transformation: how over decades, Brahman, Brahman-derived and Belmont Red cattle helped transform the productivity of northern cattle production.

It tells how they developed cattle well-suited to the vastly different grazing country from north to south and set the foundations of the Australian beef industry, now one of the world’s largest beef exporters.

References:
ABARES — Snapshot of Australian Agriculture 2026
Meat & Livestock Australia — 2026 Cattle Industry Projections
CSIRO — Cattle for the Tropics
Australian Brahman Breeders' Association — Brahman History



Images:
Black Angus cow - Lauren Bell
Red Brahman-cross calf - Katie O'Brien
Outback Queensland cattle - AgriPix

20/07/2026

BIG News! AgriPix now has an Editorial Use Only licence type.

I only learned that Editorial licenced images account for more than half the volume of stock images sold worldwide - after launching AgriPix a few months ago.

So I needed a major update to the platform asap.

Our new Editorial Use Only licence type allows images with recognisable people, places, brands and events being licenced for use by news, documentary, government, research and education.

Basically anything other than for commercial uses.

Release forms are still required for images with recognisable minors of course, or if the image shows some kind of proprietary process, or other scenarios where privacy could be an issue.

Otherwise, this is a game changer that will make life much easier for contributors.

Some examples of editorial images are we looking for:

• Farmers at work during everyday operations
• Agricultural field days and expos
• Livestock sales and saleyards
• Rodeos, campdrafts and agricultural shows
• Machinery demonstrations
• Rural protests or industry events
• Farm businesses and processing facilities
• Historic farming practices
• Vintage machinery and equipment
• Country towns and rural main streets

Now’s the perfect time to upload any of your authentic images of Aussie ag and rural life that aren’t suitable for commercial licencing.

And you can set your own prices for editorial images, like those uploaded as Creative commercial licences.

16/07/2026

AgriPix really is building more than a stock image library

I’m often asked what AgriPix is.

The easiest answer is a stock image library, because it is.

But there’s much more going on than that, which is where I sometimes confuse people, because there’s no other platform with the same offering to compare it to.

I imagine it was much easier for the founders of Burger King to explain their offering: “Yeah it’s like Maccas, but tastier” “Oh true? Sounds great”

So what’s AgriPix then if it’s not just a stock image library?

A stock image library + an encyclopaedia = AgriPix
Or
The national library of Aussie ag and rural life + images you can licence = AgriPix

Whereas most stock image libraries just tell you what you're looking at, AgriPix tells you what it is, where it is, what’s happening, and why it matters.

And as the library grows it will also catalogue how Australian farming and rural life is changing over time.

And this is why the inherent value will increase, like a young tree that adds a new branch of knowledge whenever anyone adds a new image and tells a story.

Over time it will grow into a more complete record of past and present Aussie ag, geography, flora and fauna, and rural life.

I welcome you to check it out a couple of examples here:
https://agripix.com.au/product/droughtmaster-cow-browsing-leucaena-lake-elphinstone-queensland/
And this one:
https://agripix.com.au/product/country-sunset/
Or this:
https://agripix.com.au/product/reflections/

BTW, the vintage pic shows my late Uncle and his seasonal team listening to a yarn while on smoko from sorting and packing pears for the local cannery in the early 1950s.

Brown cow and cane harvesting images by Leesa Baldwin.

07/07/2026

Help preserve Australia’s rural history

I recently rediscovered some wonderful old photos in the family chronicles including this historically important photo of one of Australia's most important agricultural innovations in action.

Header harvesters were invented by self-taught engineer and local wheat farmer Headlie Taylor who created his first prototype in the blacksmith shop on his family's property near Henty, NSW.

He demonstrated his first prototype in 1914 at the Henty Show.

This picture shows a four-horse team pulling a ground-driven Sunshine header harvesting a mature crop of wheat in the Victorian Mallee near Horsham (c. 1928-1935).

A spoked drive-wheel powers the harvesting comb that gathers the grain heads that are separated in a threshing drum before being cleaned by fans and sieves and then collected in the big hessian bag at the rear of the machine.

This process was remarkably advanced for its time and helped establish Australia as one of the world's leading wheat exporters.

Sunshine headers were manufactured by H.V. McKay at his massive Sunshine Harvester Works in Braybrook Junction, Victoria, which was later renamed Sunshine in honour of the factory.

Here’s the thing: many other people with rural and regional family histories are sitting on thousands of unique unpublished rural scenes that remain hidden, their historical value unrealised, or forgotten.

Meanwhile, the demand for authentic regional historical imagery is growing as the stock image market evolves from staged generic photos towards real images that tell the story of Aussie ag and rural life.

No, they’re not too old.

Sure, they’re not perfect.

And that’s absolutely fine for preserving our history to help future generations understand rural life.

Australia’s rural story is fading faster than we realise and you might already have a way to help preserve it.

Start digitising and uploading your collection now to AgriPix and turn your archive into income.

10/06/2026

There’s a pattern starting to emerge here – Featured Photographer #3, Lauren Bell

We’re extremely proud to present our third Featured Photographer since AgriPix went live in March.

In her own words, “Lauren Bell is a self-taught rural photographer with a passion for Australian agriculture, livestock and country life.

“Based in Monogorilby, Queensland, on her families' beef cattle properties, she is passionate about capturing real moments from the land - from beef production and livestock management to the people and landscapes that shape rural Australia.”

Just one glance at Lauren’s images is all it took for us to recognise the power of her imagery and the empathy she has towards her subjects.

This obviously comes from her close working connection to the family properties and a natural talent for capturing the right moment through her lens.

So, what’s the emerging pattern in our Featured Photographers so far?

1. Leesa Baldwin – bush photographer
2. Katie Robertson – self-taught, award-winning photographer
3. Lauren Bell – self-taught rural photographer

Apart from the obvious, these are all bush artists living the life they capture in their images.

And this is exactly what AgriPix is all about – authenticity.

Rural (Queensland) storytellers using their cameras to celebrate the people, places and industries of regional Australia.

More than that, they are forward thinking and optimistic ambassadors for regional Australia.

We couldn’t be prouder to call Lisa, Katie and Lauren AgriPix ‘Founding Contributors.’



Images by Lauren Bell: 1. Horse and Rider in Afternoon Sun 2. The Horses Eyelashes 3. Angus Cow After Eating Hay

22/05/2026

AgriPix is changing the rules of stock photography - and putting photographers first

Since the industry started in the 1920s, most stock image libraries have basically followed the same model: contributors upload their work and the platform decides what it’s worth.

Yeah, nah. That’s not the AgriPix way.

We have two licence types: Farm Production and Creative.

Farm Production prices have fixed prices because this licence type is for images of the day-to-day details, all the hard yakka of growing crops, livestock, horticulture and so on.

There is great demand for Farm Production images within the ag sector, marketers and education.

But it’s less likely that many people are going to order framed prints of these images for their living-room walls - That’s where the Creative licence option comes into play.

The Creative licence option gives contributors the ability to freely set their own prices, from $1 to $10,000.

This is something rarely offered in the stock image world.

Unlike traditional stock libraries that dictate pricing, you can think of AgriPix like a bricks-and-mortar gallery where you control how to value your work.

And we will pay you 80% royalties for your Creative licenced images. Which increases to 90% if you offer exclusivity.

This gives the more Creative focused among you the flexibility to build a portfolio that reflects your own goals and reputation.

And what’s more, this is a unique offering for contributors and buyers when combined with the strong image searchability we have built into the AgriPix platform.

It’s all about rural and regional Australia.

They’re your images and your stories.

Sign-up to agripix.com.au to learn more.



Images by Katie Robertson ()

13/05/2026

We’re proud to introduce our second Featured Photographer of the Month…Katie Robertson.

'Katie is a multi-award winning, self-taught photographer specialising in rural lifestyle and landscape photography.

Based in Dalby, Qld, Robertson's artistic storytelling journey explores the unique and raw elements of modern-day life, creating thought-provoking, emotional pieces to captivate her audience.'

We were blown away when we saw Katie’s images which truly tell the story of agriculture and life in rural and regional Australia.

There’s a drone shot that captures the moment a sunrise casts its golden tendrils through low level fog across a vast paddock.

And some amazing captures of rodeo and campdraft action that made us worry for her safety while she was shooting it all.

Then there are others that tell stories of Farm Production, like a close-up of a cotton boll.

No, not a cotton ball, a boll, which is the rounded, mature fruit or seed pod of the cotton plant (genus Gossypium) that develops after flowering. You knew that right? So did we.

This image comes with a story that adds real value beyond the aesthetic value of the image: now it’s visual data.

At AgriPix, we believe rural Australia deserves a dedicated visual platform that truly represents the diversity of our landscapes, industries, and communities.

Contributors like Katie are helping create a growing library of authentic agricultural imagery that can be used across media, education, research, agronomy, marketing, and storytelling.

We’re incredibly proud to have Katie as part of the AgriPix contributor community and look forward to sharing more of her outstanding work in the months ahead.

Thank you Katie, for helping tell the story of Australian agriculture and inspiring others to join us as the AgriPix community grows.

Sign-up now as a Founding Contributor at agripix.com.au

19/04/2026