Forbes' Sally Clayton top of her trade as finalist in John Deere Australia awards

The Hutcheon and Pearce employee is one of just four from across the country shortlisted for the honour in her category, and talking to her there's little doubt of her dedication to her work.

With sowing or harvest - pretty much any agricultural enterprise - operating within narrow windows of weather opportunity, Sally knows just how critical it is that she get the right part to the right place at the right time.

Sally grew up at Euchareena on her family farm - predominantly working in sheep and wool - which made forging a career in the farming industry highly appealing.

She was still a teenager when she found the Hutcheon and Pearce Top Gun Apprentice/Trainee program and jumped at the chance to become a parts technician through a two-year traineeship.

Five years on, Sally is established in her role, has built a rapport with farmers and has become passionate about mentoring and upskilling the next generations of parts technicians servicing the Forbes region.

"There's a lot involved," she says of her role, "but most of my day-to-day is having customers walk in or call up, or be at the workshop, they come and talk to me and I find one what parts they're after - get them here as fast as they're can.

"It's all go, go, go."

At the end of the day, knowing that someone is back in their tractor getting crop in, or back in the header getting the harvest in, is rewarding.

"I just love the fact that I've helped someone get to where they need to be that day so especially at those time-critical times of the year," Sally said.

"It's a nice feeling knowing that you got those parts there for them and their machine's up and running in that 24-hour promise."

A thorough knowledge of John Deere systems and parts is critical - and Sally will be tested and assessed on her working knowledge ahead of the awards announcement in Brisbane next week.

Keeping up-to-date, making the most of every training opportunity and working as a team are all part of Sally's approach - she's one of four in the department at Hutcheon and Pearce now including a new generation of trainee.

Of course there are those tricky parts identification tasks - we all know the frustrations and Sally says getting the right information from the right questions without wasting anyone's time is critical.

Good relationships are key, and Sally reckons she's "pretty lucky" when it comes to the supportive customer base in our region.

She's also fortunate to be surrounded by mentors in her trade.

"There are so many," Sally said.

"Definitely Barry Reedy, Bill Dillon and Warren Lister that were originally here when I started - they definitely helped me get my feet on the ground and start running. And they're always there to support me."

The John Deere Technician Awards were established in 2021 to recognise the hard work and expertise technicians provide to farmers across Australia and New Zealand, and their drive to support operators and businesses to be their most efficient, productive and profitable.

In total, more than 100 nominations from across Australia and New Zealand were received for this year's award program, with finalists competing in six different categories.

The award winners will be announced at a special gala event on August 5 in Brisbane.

"Parts technicians play an integral role in ensuring the agriculture, forestry and construction industries have a rapid flow of parts and equipment to their machines," John Deere Australia and New Zealand Managing Director, Luke Chandler said.

"Technicians working in the parts department have an intimate knowledge of machinery and are often a farmer or operator's first port of call when seeking new parts."