Farmer Wants A Wife contestant Alex is breaking the mould as the show's first mushroom farmer. The 28-year-old Queenslander grows gourmet mushrooms alongside the cattle operation his family runs in Kin Kin.
Alex explained that the two enterprises operate separately, but both are demanding jobs that leave little free time for dating.
"We're growing rapidly so the work keeps me on the farm seven days a week," Alex said.
Alex cultivates specialty mushroom varieties inside carefully climate-controlled indoor environments, while cattle roam the family's 400-acre property.
"The mushrooms we grow aren't the same mushrooms that would grow in soil," Alex said. "When it comes to growing quality gourmet mushrooms, consistency is everything. Inside our fruiting rooms, we tightly control the factors that matter most — temperature, humidity, fresh air exchange, light and cleanliness. So, while the beef and mushroom businesses work alongside each other, there's not much crossover."
The family-run business, East Well Farms, operated solely as a cattle farm until six years ago when Alex became involved. He helped introduce mushroom farming after being inspired by a documentary called Fantastic Fungi. Today, the business produces gourmet mushrooms for restaurants and liquid mushroom extracts that can be added to teas and coffees. The farm also incorporates edible mushrooms into its beef products, including pies and meatballs.
While Alex is passionate about the business, the demanding workload has made finding a relationship difficult.
"I can proudly say that I wasn't using the apps, mostly just because it felt like they were sucking the life out of me," Alex said. "I was trying to date, but I just couldn't find the time. I might meet a lovely person and then just weeks would go on where I'm stuck on the farm for extended periods of time and wouldn't get the opportunity to go on any meaningful dates. People naturally lose touch with you when that happens in the early stages."
Alex's last serious relationship ended two years ago, with the pressures of farm life and personal differences creating what he described as "friction."
The ambitious farmer said Farmer Wants A Wife offered a rare opportunity to step away from work and focus on getting to know potential partners.
"I was still juggling work while I was away, but I was excited at the opportunity to date five people at once," Alex said. "As weird as that sounds."
Despite appearing confident on screen, Alex said he spent time working on himself before filming. "It was just learning how to take that nervous energy and use it in my favour as opposed to not," he said.
He said meeting the other farmers and quickly forming friendships also helped him feel more comfortable throughout the experience. As well as finding love, Alex also hopes the show can help challenge some common misconceptions about farming. He said many people assume farmers are wealthy, but the reality is often very different.
"So when something like the fuel crisis happens that tends to send a lot of farmers into the red," Alex said. "I think a lot of people assume that farmers are absolutely loaded. And look, a lot of them are once they sell their farm. But farming itself is not a profitable venture."
That's why having the passion for the work and the environment is crucial. "I've always been a very independent person and I didn't go on to the show mandating that my wife needs to move in first thing," Alex said. "But I've always wanted to be with someone who appreciates the environment and appreciates the necessity for the regenerative agriculture that we practice here. Because I'm deeply connected to it."
Farmer Wants A Wife starts Monday 8 June on Seven and 7plus.
