Opinion Articles

How to jump-start the next generation of ag technicians

If you want a competent technician who can diagnose a John Deere header that has ground to a stop, fault-find a CAN-bus issue on a Case tractor, or re-loom the electrics on a Claas baler, the Australian training system offers you exactly one answer: a four-year apprenticeship. It does not matter how capable the kid is. It does not matter if they grew up rebuilding engines in the shed. It does not matter if they

Trevor Whittington January 1, 2026

Opinion Articles

The last letter, the last coin, the last dial

If you want to measure the real speed of modern change, don’t look at the size and complexity of new headers or how Al is every student’s best friend. Look instead at the three oldest bits of civic infrastructure we all grew up with: the post office, the banknote and the landline. All three are being shut down in real time. And the countries doing it aren’t fringe outliers – they’re the sensible, efficient northern

Trevor Whittington December 24, 2025

Opinion Articles

Buried Alive by the Pastoral Award

The Pastoral Award helpfully tells farmers that: “The average ordinary working hours for a farm and livestock hand will be fixed by agreement … but will not exceed an average of 38 hours per week over a 4-week period,” and then repeats the same rule in a different way: “The ordinary hours of work … will not exceed 152 hours in any consecutive period of 4 weeks.” The University Award contains its own classics, including

Trevor Whittington November 27, 2025