Home“I didn’t come from a farming background,” he said.
“But in Year 11, I enrolled in a Certificate II in Agriculture. Two days a week, I was up at TasTAFE’s Freer Farm.”
School had never been his strong suit.
“I genuinely failed high school,” he admitted. “I needed something hands-on. If you find what you’re good at, you’ll succeed - and for me, that was agriculture.”
The Certificate II in Agriculture gave Jayden the foundations: winding reels for strip grazing, setting fence posts, learning irrigation basics, handling livestock, understanding crop and pasture growth stages, and grasped the fundamentals of plant disease.
“Those basics look small on paper,” Jayden reflected, “but they’re huge in practice – and provide employable skills.”
Progress wasn’t instant. Jayden couldn’t move straight into a Certificate III in Agriculture because he needed an apprenticeship first, so he kept working at Kmart. Then came the turning point – berries. He joined Costa as a picker, moved up to supervisor, and eventually became a coordinator at the peak of harvest, coordinating several harvest crews across different varieties of fruit.
“This experience opened doors. Certificate II in Agriculture gave me the foundation skills to build on,” Jayden said.
With experience under his belt, Jayden joined Young’s Vegie Farms, a mixed farming operation, and secured an apprenticeship, completing his Certificate III in Agriculture in about 18 months. From there, responsibility grew. He helped manage a 1,000-acre property with 220 cattle, vegetable crops, and producing 3,000 bales of hay and silage annually. Crop planning, scheduling, disease checks, harvest logistics – it was busy.
“The biggest shift wasn’t the size of the farm – it was moving from being told what to do, to organising the whole thing.”
In 2021, Jayden started a Diploma of Agriculture with TasTAFE. Life got busy with a young family and volunteer firefighting, so it took longer than planned – but he finished.
Today, Jayden has come full circle. He is now Training Farm Operations Manager at TasTAFE’s Freer Farm Training Facility – the very place where he first learned the ropes. His role includes managing the farm and supporting teachers to deliver hands-on training to the next generation.
“I started here as a learner winding up electric fence reels. Now I’m helping make sure learners get the same practical experience that shaped my career.”
And if you think agriculture is just picking up rocks and loading cattle, Jayden will set you straight.
“Agriculture is systems thinking - how water, soil, animals, and plants interact. It’s biology, planning, and problem-solving under pressure. That’s what makes it exciting.”
Freer Farm is now home to TasTAFE’s Agricultural Training Centre of Excellence - a state-of-the-art facility for practical learning. Located on a working farm in Burnie, the centre offers training across agriculture, horticulture, dairy, and conservation and ecosystem management, plus short courses like quad bike, chainsaw, tractor, and ChemCert. Learners train with the latest equipment, including a 4WD tractor with automated guidance technology, an automated cattle crush, undercover stockyards, irrigation systems, precision agriculture tools, and training simulators.
Technology has transformed agriculture, and Jayden embraces it.
“We run a centre pivot that’s one of the most advanced in the state,” he said – but added “Yes, there’s automation on the farm, but someone still needs to oversee it.”
His advice to anyone considering a career in agriculture?
“Do a Certificate II in Agriculture and you’ll gain hands-on skills quickly. Work out what avenue of ag. you like – the physical side, or maybe ag. science, soil, plants, or animals. Animal welfare and biosecurity are huge areas. You might start picking up rocks – everyone does – but then you find where you want to go.”
Jayden’s message is simple.
“If you’re willing to work and willing to learn, you’ll get out of this industry what you put in.”
The future of agriculture is smart, connected, and full of opportunity. From automated cattle crushes to precision irrigation, today’s farms blend tradition with cutting-edge tech – and skilled people are at the heart of it all. Jayden’s story shows the impact of TasTAFE teachers. Their hands-on approach doesn’t just teach skills - it builds careers. From learner to Training Farm Operations Manager, Jayden is proof of what practical experience and guidance can achieve.
