DIVERSIFICATION is the key to farming for Dave Crossland.
Even though Gnerkadilling, his family's farm at Corrigin, is in a good farming area, the changing seasons and unreliable rainfall of recent years have meant flexibility and adaptability are useful skills.
"You need to be willing to move with the times, and also be willing to diversify, just to make sure that the place can keep going," Dave said.
Now 29, Dave returned to farming fulltime in 2003.
Although he helped out on the farm during busy times before then, Dave said he had not really been back fulltime since he was 15.
After attending high school in Corrigin for Years 8 and 9, Dave finished his education boarding at Guildford Grammar in Perth.
A four-year apprenticeship as a plant mechanic with Westrac, a mining earthmoving company with contracts all over the State, followed before Dave got his ticket and spent another year working for them.
"I was always interested in mechanics," Dave said.
"But it was always in the back of my mind that it was a handy thing to have on the farm, to save money on repairs and maintenance and things like that.
"It also gave me something to fall back on if farming didn't work out the way we'd hoped.
"Farming's been a bit thin in the last couple of years because of a lack of rainfall, so if worse came to worse and I had to earn some money, then I could go and get a job somewhere as a plant mechanic."
Another area of diversification is the water carting business with the family running two water trucks with 15,000 litre tanks, set up in 2001 by Dave's father Tony.
"We cart water for Main Roads and other companies mainly involved in road construction," he said.
"We've just come back from the new Lancelin-Cervantes road where we've been for the better part of this year. This gives us another cash flow.
"Dad and I usually take turns with driving the truck and coming back here and working, but I was coaching the footy side in town this year, so I couldn't really go away and drive the truck."
When working in Perth, Dave played for the Perth Football Club between 1999-2003 in colts, reserves and league, before going back to play league football for West Perth in 2005.
While still based in Corrigin, last year Dave went back and played for West Perth again.
"My brothers play there as well," he said.
"During the busy times, I was travelling to Perth once, maybe twice a week, for training and on Saturday to play the game.
"It was pretty taxing with the travel and getting back here, especially during seeding when we were flat out.
"Footy in Perth gave me a bit of a release from the farm, and I enjoyed playing a good level of footy, but I also missed playing country footy."
Dave's first year co-coaching the local league side has achieved good results.
"We did well this year and made the first final," he said.
If farming, mechanics, water-carting and football coaching aren't enough, the Crosslands can also rely on Dave's mother Sueanne who is a language teacher at three local schools.
As the eldest of four boys, Dave is taking over more of the farming responsibilities every year.
"As the roles change and I start running the show, Dad takes a little bit more of a back seat, which is probably what's happening at the moment," he said.
With over 3000 hectares 1300ha wheat, 520ha canola, 600ha barley and 120ha lupins, this year to look after, as well as 900 breeding Merino ewes, Dave is kept busy.
"We had a really good lambing percentage this year, so we've probably got the same amount of lambs on the ground," he said.
"A few years ago when grain prices were high, we sold a few sheep just to put more crop in.
"But now because sheep have become more profitable, we've been building back up again.
"We'd never get rid of the whole flock. It's just trying to find that happy medium, that mix between cropping and livestock.
"At the moment without rain, it's hard to run either because obviously we need water to keep both alive.
"Farm life is a good life, definitely, but there's a fair bit of pressure during the busy times."
Dave said he could never leave the farm permanently while it was still running.
"I like farm life because you are your own boss and are working in the elements most of the time," he said.
"I also like the challenges of keeping up with the times, of having an open mind and being willing to accept changes and learning about the new technology and ways of farming.
"These days, because farms have got so much bigger in scale, you have to be more efficient with what you do, just like any other business.
"With farming, you can't get too tied up with the pressure of the weather and it not raining, because it can really get on top of you if you let it.
"I always want to be successful with whatever we do.
"A lot of people say 'we do it for the lifestyle,' but really, you want to have a successful business.
"Even if that means going out to earn some money on the mines, doing mechanics, or running these water trucks, that's really good because we can run these things in the off-peak time on the farm, through summer, when they really start cranking up."
One of the first farms in the area, Gnerkadilling has been in the Crossland family since 1907 when they first cleared just over 1600ha.
Over time, the farm has increased in size as neighbours have sold out.
Three years ago, they bought some land from Dave's uncle, who now has an earthmoving business in Cervantes.
"He still owns about 750ha that we sharefarm," Dave said.
Dave lives with his partner Claire, who moved to Corrigin from the city early this year and works at CBH as a zone safety adviser.
"It's a lot smaller scale here compared to what she grew up with, but I think she enjoys it and has made some good friends," he said.
As a fourth generation farmer and the great, great grandson of Sir James Mitchell, former WA premier and governor, Dave hopes the farm keeps on getting passed down through the generations.
"I hope that's what it brings, because it means that farming is still viable and alive," he said.
