Jake Ryan sums up his approach to farming in a couple of sentences as he looks over a crop of cabbage on his family farm in Manjimup.

“The environment probably isn’t in the best shape right now,” Mr Ryan, 27, said.

“What we’re trying to do is show that you can farm in a way that’s going to improve that ecosystem and, I suppose, the natural environment.”

He was one of the first growers in WA to adopt several regenerative practices, including strip tillage, diverse pasture species mixes and strip grazing.

For example, he said there were between six and eight types of seeds in his multi-species mixes, which were planted at different times of the year to keep the ground covered and improve soil health.

The innovative measures led to him being honoured at this year’s Australian Farmer of the Year awards.