AT a time when it's a struggle to get young people back on to the farm, one family decided to up stumps in the city and return to the country.
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Linley and Justin Green, with daughter Freya, have moved back to the family farm 'The Oaks' at Three Springs.
The family has taken over the 2000 hectare farm from Mrs Green's parents, Rhonda and Graeme Bastian, which has been in the family since 1909.
Daughter Freya will be the fifth generation to take on the farm.
Mrs Green, a dental hygienist, grew up on the farm before moving to Perth to finish school and attend university.
Mr Green, a qualified auto-electrician, was also a country boy, growing up in the Pilbara before moving to Perth.
Mrs Green said the decision to go farming was a relatively easy one to make.
"We were tired of the traffic and noise of living in the city and it got to the stage one day when I said to Justin 'let's stop talking about living in the country and just go do it'," she said.
She said convincing her parents that it was what the young family wanted took the longest time.
"I think mum and dad were worried that we were doing this because they were looking at retiring and weren't sure what was going to happen to the farm," she said.
"They kept asking 'were we sure' and gave us plenty of time to make the decision, even though we were sure."
The Greens moved into the farm house in March with Mr and Mrs Bastian relocating to a house they owned in town.
Quick to call himself the farmhand, Mr Green said he was enjoying learning all he could about farming from his father-in-law.
"It has been really rewarding so far," he said.
"I am finding that farming is a pretty sensory game - you are constantly watching and listening for the rain, checking the wind direction and generally being more observant of the environment," he said.
"It's a big change to working on cars."
Seeding started on April 28 and finished on May 20, with 1300ha of Carnamah wheat planted.
Mr Bastian said he was enjoying having the family back on the farm, allowing him to "take a step back".
"We have always used help during the busy times, but with Justin here now it allows me to travel and do other things, as well as take on a more advisory role," he said.
As well as looking after Freya, Mrs Green has been embracing the country life baking scones for smoko during seeding, getting the vegetable garden underway and learning as much as she can from Rhonda.
"We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to do this and have the support of mum and dad," Mrs Green said.
"Ultimately, we wanted to do this for Freya. We want her to grow up in the country and experience life on the farm."
