How this prime lamb producer found more to farming than owning a block of land

After two years, he found himself not where he wanted to be and close to where he began.

"I was very unhappy," he said.

"I was so down about it, and I thought something had to change, so I thought about asking many successful farmers what they were doing.

"It led onto me chatting to more farmers along the way and understanding what they went through."

The conversations were initially an experience to find a path forward for successful farming,

But it led to a common discovery that Mr Owen found among the more than 250 farmers he had spoken to over three years.

"I looked through all my notes and what I implemented through my business... and things started to match up and see common themes," he said.

"Some didn't want to talk to me, but from those that did, I thought there was something here that I could put together in a book and help others as well."

Mr Owen said he was fascinated by how farmers thought and acted, more than what they decided from a business perspective.

It resulted in You Are Not Your Farm, a book Mr Owen said allowed farmers to open themselves to a new way of thinking, which led to finding an identity away from a farm.

He said a farm will likely always be there at the end of the day, but many get caught up, not realising there is more to just owning that block of land when farming.

"The focus of the book isn't farming or telling you how to grow wool or find good yielding crops, it's more about the person behind the farm," he said.

"The farm is a vehicle to where you want to get to, whether it be a beach house when you're 50 or anything else.

"The way I look at the most successful farm is that they had an identity outside of their farm and weren't attached to their farm, so if they had a bad year, they didn't dwell on that for the next six months."

He also said letting go of what was uncontrollable made the difference between farmers "playing in the top five per cent" and those outside it.

"What's happening to a farmer during a drought, and what's happening to them six months later is important," he said.

"The business is one thing, but behind the business is one person."

Mr Owen said vulnerability was OK for farmers to experience and could actually be used to their advantage.

But he also warns that a farmer's vulnerability shouldn't be shared with everyone.

"Vulnerability needs to be given a trusted person, and not any random person, because it then can be used against you," he said.

"One thing I have learnt is that a problem shared is a problem halved, and most don't necessarily needed a solution."

According to Mr Owen, it could be as simple as telling someone that things would be tight for cash "and all that's needed is to say that".

He said simply saying those things could lead to neighbours talking about it, which they could potentially face.

"Dropping your guard and saying those things can lead to other people saying 'yeah I feel that way too'."

"I want to provoke thought and have people question themselves."

You Are Not Your Farm is available online, and those wanting more information can contact Mr Owen via his Instagram account.