Humans of Agriculture “You don’t need a unicorn idea. You need to find a real gap and solve it" - Johno Mackay
Johno Mackay grew up remote in the Northern Territory, shaped by hard work, risk-taking parents, and a deep love for the bush. In this conversation, Johno shares the path from School of the Air and station life to building a contract mustering and fencing business in Northern Australia, before an accident in his team pushed him into an entirely new chapter: ag tech.
What followed was the creation of JobSafe Pro, a practical safety and compliance platform designed to help agricultural businesses simplify paperwork, think more clearly about risk, and build stronger safety systems without adding more complexity.
This episode is about far more than an app. It is about backing yourself young, learning to lead, finding opportunity in tough moments, and recognising that agriculture today can open more doors than ever before. Johno also shares his belief in the value of the North, the importance of mentors, and why the people who get ahead are often the ones willing to work hard, show initiative, and keep having a crack.
It is a grounded and forward-looking conversation about agriculture, ambition, safety, and building something meaningful from the bush.
In this episode we cover
- Growing up remote in the Northern Territory and the influence of family
- Life after School of the Air and heading to Emerald Ag College
- Starting a contract mustering business at 21
- Building a life and business in Northern Australia
- The opportunity that still exists for young people in the North
- Lessons in work ethic, leadership and earning trust
- A serious workplace accident and the reality of risk in agriculture
- Why farm safety needs more attention across the sector
- Turning a hard experience into the idea for JobSafe Pro
- What Johno learned through Farmers2Founders
- Building partnerships with AgForce and Elders
- Bringing Patrick into the business after a life-changing accident
- Why the future of agriculture will belong to people willing to learn, move and adapt