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“I was not born and bred on a farm. My parents were store keepers,” Lindsay said. “But I think that can give you different insights – because you haven’t got a farming background, you see things differently.”
Lindsay and her first husband had a sheep and cattle property, before they went on to establish an earth moving business. Changed circumstances led Lindsay to study psychology at university, and she met Grant, who farmed in Kondinin.
She moved to the Wheatbelt and together they ran a sheep and grain operation. Lindsay picked up skills along the way by getting involved and learning from Grant. Ten years ago, they decided to move solely into cropping.
“As soon as I moved to the Wheatbelt, I was heavily involved on the farm. I became very hands on – I drove machinery and I started to do all the administration for the business,” Lindsay said.
“I didn’t know a lot about cropping when I first moved. But I’m passionate about whatever I do, so once I was there, I embraced the life.”
Lindsay and Grant plant 3600 hectares of crops throughout their five farms, and employ casual staff during seeding and harvesting.
“My day-to-day job is to make sure that we financially keep moving forward. At the moment, I’m marketing the grain because we’ve just started harvesting this week – so we’re very busy.”
Lindsay likes the independence that comes with running a cropping operation. She likes that she and Grant run a successful business together. She believes the key traits a person must have to work in Agriculture are resilience, a willingness to embrace change, and an openness to embracing sustainability.
With a passion for spreading the word about the importance of the Agriculture industry, Lindsay has been on the Growers Advisory Council for CBH and was on the Kondinin Shire Council.
“As the years have gone by, I’ve become more involved in the industry,” she said. “I’m passionate about the CBH and the fact that grain growers in Western Australia are united through the cooperative.”
Currently Lindsay is planning to nominate for a position on the board of CBH. If successful, it would make her the first female grain grower to be elected.
Lindsay’s tip for people thinking about a career in the grain industry:
- Investigate working in the industry. Don’t go into it with rose-coloured glasses, get advice from different people who are working in the field
- If you’re passionate about the land and growing sustainable, clean food – go for it!
