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Jayden Limbrick’s path into agriculture was anything but typical.
“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 gave him the foundations, winding reels for strip grazing, setting fence posts, learning irrigation basics, and getting water allocation right from the start. He learned to handle livestock, understand crop and pasture growth stages, and grasp 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 to secure an apprenticeship first, so he kept working his day job 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 gave me the foundation skills to build on,” Jayden said.
With experience under his belt, he moved onto Young’s Vegie Farms, a mixed farming operation and was offered an apprenticeship, completing his Certificate III in Agriculture in about 18 months.
From there, responsibility grew. Jayden helped manage a large property – around 1,000 acres – with a herd of roughly 220 cattle, plus vegetable crops and producing 3,000 bales of hay and silage a year. 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 at TasTAFE. He didn’t rush it. Life got busy – with a young family and a new commitment as a volunteer firefighter. The Diploma took longer to complete than he liked – but he got there.
Today, Jayden has come full circle. He is now the 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 of farmers.
“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,” Jayden said.
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 and animal and plant health. It’s 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 fitted with automated guidance technology, and a new 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 was quick to add:
“Yes, there’s automation on the farm, but someone still needs to oversee it.”
Jayden believes agriculture is bigger than any single farm. “If you want to see the world, this industry will take you there. You can learn here and go anywhere – across Australia, or beyond to the U.S. or Europe.”
His advice to anyone sitting on the fence about 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 out on the farm, 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.”
He said there are so many opportunities:
“I didn’t know what I was going to do – and now I have a Diploma and a career that is so satisfying. When you find something, you’re genuinely interested in, everything becomes easier.”
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 the practical experience and guidance that TasTAFE teachers provide.
If a career in agriculture sounds exciting – now is the time to apply for our fee free Certificate II in Agriculture at Freer Farm in Burnie.