GEOFF Harris inherited a passion for Merino sheep from his father, Brian.
And the second-generation Grass Patch farmer has passed that same passion onto his own sons Brayden, 24, and Digby, 22, who help him run his 1100-head flock.
While living and working with relatives may not work for some, Geoff, his wife Maryann and the boys make quite the team.
The family farming wasn't forced.
In fact the boys were encouraged to gain apprenticeships in their chosen trades as a back-up, after attending agricultural college, in case they did not want to follow the same path as their preceding generations.
"I worked in cabinet making, but I definitely like farming more," Brayden said.
"It is the diversity of work and the fact I am always doing something different."
Although sheep are Geoff's preference, the operation is 90 per cent cropping with 1200 hectares of barley, 1400ha of wheat and 750ha of vetch sown.
Brayden, who is in his third year at home, focuses on spraying the crops.
Meanwhile, Digby, who is in his first year home after completing an apprenticeship in boiler making, has stepped into seeding.
It is a system that works and frees up time for Geoff.
"We all work together - everyone does their bit," Maryann said.
"Geoff still gets on the boomsprayer regularly and so does Digby."
Technically, Geoff is a third-generation farmer, but second in the Esperance area.
Like many others, his family purchased land and moved to the South Coast from South Australia in 1978.
He and his brother 'Rocket' farmed with their parents at the original family farm on Rolland Road until about 12 years ago.
"We brought another block around the family farm in 1980," Geoff said.
"It was nearly all bush, so we cleared and developed it all ourselves.
"Then in 1992 we bought this farm (which we are on today) and Rocket's farm in 1996.
"That was all run together until mum and dad retired into Esperance and we split the land.
"We went halves in leasing mum and dad's farm, so they would still get an income."
When the family moved to Grass Patch the decision to produce Merinos was influenced by its dual purpose, as there wasn't a huge amount of money in meat sheep at the time.
For this reason the family turned its focus to wool production in sheep and looked for a stud that was best suited.
They went with Cascade breeder Jack Ashby's Ashgrove stud, who they remained with for more than three decades, until the stud was 'retired'.
Today, they use rams from Luke Ledwith's Kolindale stud because of its similarities to the Ashgrove stud.
"Long bodied, big broad sheep, deep barrel and plenty of wool," Geoff said.
"That's what I look for."
At its peak, the Grass Patch farm was running more than 2000 Merino breeders.
However, a focus shift into cropping and developing land has seen numbers drop slightly over the years.
In saying that, the sheep and cropping operations run hand-in-hand.
Geoff said he had been growing vetch for sheep feed, which also provided soil with a nitrogen fix.
"Doing that has given us a bit of a two-way ticket and we have been able to grow more vetch this season," he said.
"We did grow a few peas over the past couple of years, but we dropped them out of our program and decided to put vetch on all of our pasture."
Like many other Western Australian farmers, one of the biggest battles the family faced in recent years has been below-average rainfall and late season starts.
But the difference is, while many made the decision to destock and take advantage of the Eastern States' demand, Geoff held on to his flock.
He said it was all about "riding with the highs and the lows" of farming.
One of the dry conditions' lows was when they were forced to cart a substantial amount of water across the property for livestock.
"We managed to source a second-hand water tanker," Geoff said.
"Because we were able to use that - and had access to water at Grass Patch - we were able to keep all of our sheep."
Last year, the farm didn't record any rainfall until June and was only hit with small falls "here and there".
When the farm copped a decent soaking in April this year, they took advantage of the subsoil moisture and started seeding.
"We seeded all of our cereals into moisture, which was the first time in about four years I reckon," Geoff said.
"All our vetch went in dry, but that's normal for us.
"To have a good chance of growing a crop, we have to be out of the ground by the end of May."
As there was no decent pasture on the ground in the dry years, the family resorted to hand feeding sheep.
This season they introduced feedlotting into the program, and put a mob of ewes in confinement with lick feeders, troughs, hay and straw, to assist the condition of the ewes for lambing.
Geoff said they always used lick feeders for pregnant ewes, even if they lambed into paddocks.
"We hold back some grain and barley, as well as the seconds from seed cleaning and put that through the lick feeders, which works really well," he said.
"We decided to try feedlotting, after seeing how well it worked for my brother, who has been doing it for a while now.
"Basically we send our stock into a section of the bush, where we have put all our feeders and waterers.
"Another benefit is that it has given us more room to seed pasture earlier."
In 2020, they didn't feed vetch until the end of June because they were waiting for feed to be available in other paddocks, so they could shift the ewes.
All the sheep are rotated through wheat and barley stubbles over summer, which Geoff said gave them plenty of feed to get through.
Then when the ewes are close to lambing they are "locked up again".
As well as Merinos, the family also runs a small mob of crossbred sheep.
They use them as an option to get a lamb from a cull ewe, which would normally be sold for meat.
Cull crossbred ewes are mated with White Suffolk rams and are due to lamb mid July.
If they aren't successful, they go back to a Merino in November and are given a second chance to reproduce.
"Our cull hoggets are double tagged and we hold onto them," Geoff said.
"Any ewe that preg tests empty in February is put straight back onto a crossbred ram and we try to get a lamb out of them that season.
"They generally mature quicker, so you could get a draft sooner.
"If that's the case you can get them out of the way to make room for the Merinos."
Merino lambing is usually in April to May and any dry ewes go back to a crossbred ram.
Geoff said lambing percentages were strong this year with one mob preg tested at 112pc and the other at 122pc.
The others not feedlotted were lower than that.
He said these were the best percentages the farm had ever produced and he put it down to feedlotting.
"I think it's because the ewes can't walk away from their lambs," Geoff said.
"Basically, they have to stay in the enclosed areas and mother them."
Traditionally, the lambs are weaned at the end of August-early September, otherwise they do a draft of wether lambs for sale.
Anything that doesn't reach the target weight is shorn, before another draft is done in October.
"That's the way we have always done it," Geoff said.
"We try to get rid of most of them before harvest and we sell them through Elders."
In the past, the family has sold its cull hoggets, but when meat prices started to improve about seven years ago, they were held onto.
The decision to do so has fitted well into their program.
"We don't have huge numbers but it is always handy to get income in August to September," Geoff said.
"When culling hoggets the most important factors are body size and wool type.
"We stay away from the drier wools and look for the nice, bright, white soft crimp and good body/frame."
About six years ago, the Harris' started preg testing their ewes and have found it to be a useful and effective tool when lambing.
Geoff said it was definitely well worth doing, particularly when seasons were tight.
"It means we are feeding a ewe we know is going to have a lamb, rather than feeding one that is not," he said.
"We can take those dry sheep away and just focus on the pregnant mums."
When asked what he loved most about Merino sheep farming, Geoff said he enjoyed seeing a young sheep that you have bred, develop a nice fleece of wool.
"That is a bright, white, stylish crimp and plenty of it," he said.
The sheep cut seven to eight kilograms of wool per head at 19.5 micron and 100 millimetres in length.
Hoggets and lambs are shorn in September and all the mated ewes are shorn in February, so when the ewes lamb they are basically bare shorn.
Sheep are shorn by contractors at Geoff's father's property, where the shearing shed is located.
So any future plans to expand on the family operation?
Well they would if there was land available in Esperance.
"It's impossible at the moment," Geoff said.
"There's no land available and prices are through the roof."
