IT'S refreshing to chat to a young farmer who has so much passion and drive for agriculture, particularly in a tough season.
With agriculture experiencing one of the toughest years yet, it's not often you find a farmer who is so determined to change and develop the industry.
Kojonup farmer Bevan Gibbs is one of those rare finds.
Unlike many of the older farmers who have grown up in the bush and learnt everything on-farm, Bevan has had a solid agricultural education which has given him a good grounding for a career in the industry.
Studying agribusiness farm management at Muresk was the start of Bevan's education and during his three years at the Northam campus he travelled to Casterton, Victoria, for 10 weeks work experience at an intensive cattle and feedlot business.
He said learning about the different farming conditions in the Eastern States was an experience in itself.
"Sheep management in Victoria is a lot different to what it is here," Bevan said.
"I learnt a lot about sheep management and practices which I have brought back to the farm."
After graduating from Muresk in 2006, Bevan worked at Kalyx Agriculture in Narrogin for 18 months as a research agronomist, trialling different grain varieties and a number of different trials for agricultural-related companies.
Since his trial work was around the Great Southern region, he was also able to help out on the family farm occasionally.
"I got to see a different side to agriculture and now I can relate that knowledge back to the farm," he said.
"Talking to farmers is a great way to learn because you can bring what they do back home to your own farm."
Bevan said agricultural education wasn't all about the practical side of agriculture.
He said the contacts and connections made while studying or working were just as important as learning the techniques and practices of farming.
"Gaining experience from other people is important and I have gone out and done that," he said.
Back home, Bevan helps his father run a mixed farming enterprise on the 1600-hectare property south of Kojonup.
They run 5500 Merinos and their seeding program consists of 160ha of oats, 80ha of canola, 50ha of wheat and 160ha barley.
Sheep is the Gibbses' main enterprise and, unlike many young farmers, Bevan has a soft spot for this side of farming.
But he would never rely solely on sheep and said having a mixed enterprise was vital, especially in a year like the one just gone.
"I enjoying cropping, but I do see the benefits in sheep," he said.
"I see the rewards in cropping too and we could always do more cropping but you realise you can't just rely on crops.
"We are tying to expand and diversify and continually improve production.
"Expansion is a problem though. We can always get better at farming but we can't necessarily get bigger.
"We can have better farming practices so we are more efficient.
"Farming has moved from more of a lifestyle to an enterprise.
"It was drilled into us at Muresk that you were going back to the farm to run a business, not just feed the sheep."
Bevan said with the tough dry seasons farmers constantly had to look at new techniques to make sure their business was continuing to be profitable and said through trial and error they were discovering techniques that worked on their farm.
But he said farming practices were pretty efficient already.
"The weather will have an impact, but there's not much more farmers can do at the moment," Bevan said.
"Farmers do have to start adapting to the changing weather; we haven't had much rain since September last year."
Bevan said this year had been one of the most challenging, but said they haven't been hit as hard as others.
This year the Gibbses didn't cut as much hay as they did last year and Bevan said they would have to keep all their oats and some barley for when they have to hand feed later in the season.
"Our crops aren't yielding as well as they usually do but we have been quite fortunate here," he said.
"We didn't have finishing rain last year, and it's been very similar this year.
"And when we shear in March we are predicting a much lower wool cut."
But these setbacks have only encouraged Bevan to work even harder.
He makes sure he is always up to date with issues, such as the introduction of Genetically Modified (GM) crops, one of the biggest debates currently circulating the agricultural industry.
Bevan is wary of growing any GM grain until more research has been done but admits he may have to resort to it if the weather conditions don't improve.
"If there was a salt tolerant or disease-resistant variety, then it could be very beneficial," he said.
"We may introduce GM into the farming system, but we won't jump into it just because everyone else is doing it."
Bevan said being a young farmer could get frustrating, often going days at a time without seeing anyone.
He also said it was a problem that there was a lack of young farmers in WA, with the mining sector becoming more appealing for the younger generation.
But Bevan said providing rural towns had a good community feel, young farmers would be more inclined to stay.
"Community is very important - if the town is not appealing then young people will just move to Perth," he said.
"You have to keep the town going to keep young people here.
"Kojonup is a relatively good community for young people though."
But what Bevan likes best about the industry are the rewards at the end.
"I enjoy harvest because it's the sign of a hard year coming to an end," he said.
"And when you sell sheep for a good price you get an appreciation for all the hard work you've done."
Bevan believes that the future of agriculture is about getting better, not getting bigger.
And with that attitude, he is sure to make a difference.
