Photographs of naked Australian farmers are being used to spark conversations about rural mental health and to promote greater interest in farming.

Over the past eight months, hundreds of farmers have stripped off and posed for photographs depicting them at work.

The photos are shared on a social media site which has become home to a collection of images from around the country.

The Naked Farmer page on social media is curated by Victorian farmer Ben Brooksby, who wanted to capture the attention of people not directly involved in agriculture.

"When you scroll through (social media) and see a naked person amongst bales of hay or something like that, people stop and actually read it and take note," Mr Brooksby said.

"It's a good way to connect those people in non-rural areas to learn about where their food and fibre actually comes from and to see the farmers that grow it."

Stripping back barriers

Photos of farmers at work with little to no clothing have become a popular way to highlight agriculture. ( Supplied: The Naked Farmer )

For those on the land and in regional communities, the photographs have served as a starting point towards a discussion about mental health.

Mr Brooksby launched a calendar last year and is planning an Australia-wide road trip later this year to gather content and interviews for 2019 calendars.

He said proceeds from the calendars would be donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service and towards improving rural mental health.

Mr Brooksby said the calendar had prompted conversations about mental health.

"If I can save one life through this whole process, I've already achieved something."

It's not just the men who are trying to help by posing nude. ( Supplied: The Naked Farmer )

He said there were synergies between posing naked and talking about mental health issues.

"No one feels confident stripping off, especially if someone is taking a photo," he said.

"But then you don't want anyone to see your inner mental health either. A lot of people hide it and there's no reason to."

Naked at the Grand Canyon

WA farmhand 'Rat' shared a naked photo of himself at the Grand Canyon. ( Supplied: The Naked Farmer )

'Rat' is a farmhand working in Western Australia and was one of the early contributors to the Naked Farmer page.

After completing seeding on a property south of Geraldton, Rat went on a holiday to the US where he arranged and carefully planned a naked photo of himself at the Grand Canyon.

"We had a few sentries posted around the place so we didn't disturb anyone else that was enjoying the other finer nature," he said.

"I wouldn't say I'm the most modest person, but I'm far from a practising nudist."

He said the photo had generated some good interest on social media, and he was happy to support the purposes of Naked Farmer.

"If I can get a post-seeding body bare after a month of not going to footy training, then maybe people can be brave enough to talk about deeper issues that are going on," he said.

Popularity of posing naked a surprise

The Naked Farmer shares contributed photos to highlight mental health issues and the role of agriculture in Australia. ( Supplied: The Naked Farmer )

Some of the pictures from The Naked Farmer site can be quite artistic. ( Supplied: The Naked Farmer )

Coordinating the Naked Farmer page happened by chance for Mr Brooksby after a family friend and photographer Emma Cross told him to strip off while posing for a photo in a bin full of lentils.

"That ended up going on social media. It got a lot of attention and all my mates had a good laugh," Mr Brooksby said.

"Then it wasn't until May 2017, when I was planting those same seeds back into the ground, that I thought about an Instagram page dedicated to naked farmers."

In eight months, the page has gathered more than 33,000 followers.

"I can get sent in from two to 10 a day, it just varies from day to day," he said.

"Obviously everyone has to be covered, strategically, and I just try and pick out the best ones. I just post one a day at the end of the day."

He said he was surprised at the popularity of naked farmer photos.

"I thought I'd get the odd one, but the amount of people that have got on board and people are saying how much they enjoy it, and it gives them so much confidence," he said.

"It's a good laugh and you feel comfortable once you do it once."