Who Am I?

Imagine a place in a far away land.
Where a girl can grow up completely unmanned.
Imagine a realm where nothing is bad,
Where a girl can run free, get dirty, go mad!

Imagine a world with grass emerald green,
Where the sky paints pictures and can always be seen.
Imagine somewhere that blends every hue,
That changes, that grows, yet stays true to you.

Imagine a place that takes but gives more,
A place that stays with you over hills, over shores.
Imagine a realm where possibilities are endless,
Where dreams can come true while you stand there defenceless.

Imagine a place with no limits, not one.
Now imagine it inspires you, it lets you have fun.
Imagine a realm where anything comes to pass,
Where it all seems to fit. You. The trees, sky, and grass.

Imagine that realm has taught you its ways,
Its tempests, its calms, its moods as it sways.
Imagine that place is just like you or me,
Living and breathing it thrives, flowing free.

Imagine a world where you use the strength of your back.
Cities, people, cars, never ending rush. Who needs that?!
Imagine a realm with a natural rhythm and pace,
A realm full of individuals, yet whole, interlaced.

Believe in this place where a girl can be free,
Confident, at peace. Home-grown, just like me.

As you can see I am a country girl through and through. I was born in Kojonup and it has been my home ever since. Primary school was school bus runs for an hour and a quarter each way, every day. It was coming home to the shearing shed watching bright white dots wandering along the driveway. High school was hanging out for boarders long weekends, wishing I could be back on the farm. Back where my roots were, and still are. The years since I finished school have been a mix of farm life and all sorts of other things. It would seem no matter what I try I always end up back here, growing stock and crops. It also seems it doesn't matter if I'm on the family farm, a station, or someone else's farm. The passion for agriculture is always unwavering.

Me, I'm a country girl in a big old world who wants to help people understand what we do and why we do it. There is a lot of turmoil in the agricultural world these days and I believe the only way to find the right solutions for this industry is to educate everybody about what we, as farmers, actually do. I am always open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. That is a farmers perogative, to innovate and increase productivity. We are always striving for the best possible result in yield, animal health, profit and lifestyle. Yes, money does come into it, that is how we make a living, but we are not people who are driven by dollar signs. We are driven by the beautiful world we get to live in every day, we choose this lifestyle because it is amazing. Hopefully as you read what we do here you may begin to understand that this is not a job where we go to work at 9am and come home at 5pm to forget about it all. It is forever in our hearts and our minds. It is part of who we are and as such we have a steady and unyielding need to care for our land and our stock. To preserve what we have in a sustainable way and ensure that everything is at its healthiest.

Now you know who I am, but please stop and take the time to think about what I want. Help me to bridge the gap between the city and the country. Milk ends up in a carton, meat ends up in a butchers, bread ends up on supermarket shelves, clothes end up on racks. Yet there is so much more to what we consume than retail stores. Cows, sheep, grain crops, dairies, calves, lambs, seeding, harvesting, drenching, marking, shearing. The list is endless! Hopefully I can help you to understand where the things we consume come from and perhaps convince you to lend a hand to your local farmers, because without us (and I mean this in a very simplistic and un-egotistical fashion) the world stops. If you already support the agricultural sector and our lifestyle then please share this with those around you who don't have the opportunity to experience or understand what we do.