HAVING studied an agribusiness degree at Curtin University, it was natural for Jessie Davis to move into the corporate world, but it didn't take her long to realise her heart was back on the farm.
Jessie grew up on her family's farm in Narembeen and loved the lifestyle, she attended Penrhos College for high school and went on to Curtin before working for agtech company Agworld and at the Shire of Katanning in community and business development.
Despite working full-time, Jessie missed the farm and was always keen to take annual leave and join the family, especially during harvest which was always her favourite time.
"My husband Trent and I made the decision for me to try farming full-time in 2014 and I haven't looked back," Jessie said.
"With my sister and I away at boarding school our farm had been on the market for a number of years before we decided to try farming and to move back to Narembeen.
"My pop Eddie Dixon was thrilled to have the option of the farm staying in the family."
Balancing farming, family and social life is a challenge for Jessie - she enjoys show jumping and tennis throughout the year, tries to squeeze a holiday in and enjoy time with her extended family.
"We try to be quite flexible when it's not busy on the farm to provide everyone with an opportunity to rest and revive," she said.
"Work life balance will be an ongoing challenge but thankfully we love our work."
While her passion drove her back to the farm, her desire to see more young people in leadership roles led her to WAFarmers.
The WAFarmers' board voted Jessie on board as a director last year - she is the youngest person serving by 20 years.
"It's not just WAFarmers, any organisation that is not engaging with young people coming through in their particular industry is really missing out on the initiatives and the renewal that they bring," Jessie said.
"It's surprising how many rural women in particular are tertiary educated and have a degree these days, so rural organisations who want to represent the sector need to reflect that."
For Jessie, every day is different depending on the season and the jobs that need to get done.
"Spreading, seeding, shearing and harvest times are usually 14-16 hour days and we try to work a normal 8am to 5pm in the off-seasons," she said.
"I love the problem-solving aspects of farming, every day you're making decisions to improve your soils, cropping and livestock enterprises for the better.
"Everyday you get to do something different in a beautiful environment."
The opportunity to work on the land with her family is another one of the perks of the job.
Together they try to farm smarter not harder and employ user-friendly technologies to make the physical side of farming simpler.
"I encourage all young people in farming to volunteer to help on the farm as often as possible and have a crack at all jobs that there are," Jessie said.
"Open communication with your family is paramount in sharing your interest and passion for agriculture."