A shortage of qualified diesel mechanics is leaving farmers across western NSW vulnerable to machinery breakdowns during critical planting and harvest windows.
Industry groups warn the trade remains one of the hardest occupations to recruit and retain.
For producers across western NSW, delays in repairing key machinery can have significant financial consequences.
According to Jobs and Skills Australia's Occupation Shortage Report, diesel motor mechanics remain in national shortage, with regional employers finding it significantly harder to fill vacancies than metropolitan workshops.
Broadacre farmer Bill Newcombe, from the Collarenebri-Mungindi farming . . .
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