A broken BBQ, an inefficient sheep feeder and an ageing chemical trailer might not sound like HSC material, but for six Yanco Agricultural High School students, they were the starting points for projects now built, tested and ready for work.

Instead of designing projects that will sit on a shelf after their HSC, the Year 12 students have spent the year identifying genuine problems on their farms and at home and engineering their own solutions.

The result is a collection of finished major works ranging from an eight-tonne agricultural tipping trailer and livestock feed-out cart to a fencing unit, chemical trailer, outdoor kitchen and heavy-duty workshop bench.

For Jackson Greene, the answer to a need for versatile farm equipment was an eight-tonne agricultural tipping trailer.

The finished trailer can transport and tip materials including soil, gravel and manure, as well as collecting firewood and carting hay.

Jackson designed it to be heavy-duty, low-maintenance and versatile enough to potentially have applications beyond the family farm, including contracting or small-scale commercial work.

For Darcy Hinds, the problem was one familiar to livestock producers: getting feed out efficiently.

Darcy has completed a custom-built trail feeder for his family’s sheep property, designed to distribute feed across paddocks while reducing the time and physical effort involved.

The project was inspired by the limitations of the existing feeding trailer, which was time-consuming and manually intensive to operate.

Luke Anderson has also taken on one of the more labour-intensive jobs around a farm.

After about eight years of farm life and plenty of experience with fencing, Luke designed and built a fencing unit to make the job quicker, easier and more efficient.

His project was particularly focused on the challenge of getting fencing work done when working alone.

The students’ projects also extend beyond traditional farm machinery.

Patrick Madden has completed an enclosed, self-contained outdoor barbecue and bench unit, inspired by a much more familiar household problem: the family barbecue barely worked, and his dad wanted a basic outdoor kitchen.

The finished unit turns that simple request into a practical piece of fabricated equipment that can now be put to use at home.

Jeremy Marsh focused on agricultural safety and practicality with his completed chemical trailer.

The trailer is designed to safely and efficiently carry large chemical intermediate bulk containers (IBCs) and drums, along with spray units and other spraying equipment.

Jeremy’s project was driven by the condition of the existing trailer available on the farm, which was outdated and rusted and no longer suited the practical requirements of the job.

And Isabella Palmer has built a robust workbench that will have a permanent home in the family garage.

Designed for mechanical, fabrication and maintenance work, the bench showcases the construction and fabrication skills Isabella has developed throughout Years 11 and 12 while creating something designed for regular use.

The projects offer a snapshot of the practical problems young people growing up in agricultural communities encounter every day, and the ingenuity required to solve them.

For the students, the HSC major work has meant taking a problem from the paddock, shed or backyard, developing a design and ultimately turning it into something they can use themselves.

Now the assessment is complete, their projects have a life beyond the HSC.