A day in the life of a Chilean seedsman

Jose Marcelo Caro Tobar is Station Manager for Rijk Zwaan in Chile. Accepting this position was a big step for Jose, but soon he felt completely at home – and he still does.

Gaining experience
“After studying agronomics at Universidad de Chile in Santiago, I returned to the village where I’d been raised. I felt at home there, but my lack of experience made it very hard to find a job. Eventually I was happy to be hired by Rijk Zwaan in 2009, to give technical advice to external seed producers. I was able to work from home and could finally start building up my experience. I learned from the knowledge of experienced growers, and used it to inform less experienced ones.”

Unique opportunity
“Two years later, Rijk Zwaan surprised me by asking me to become Station Manager of the production location in Lagunillas. It was a tough decision for me because I knew I had to move away from my village. However, I realised it was a unique opportunity to start working with different crops and to get involved in the all the processes related to our seeds: processing, quality control, export. This has made my work even more diverse!”

“Becoming Station Manager has also meant maintaining close contact with Rijk Zwaan’s breeders and having the responsibility for a team. I like working with people – especially at Rijk Zwaan, since the colleagues I work with are very passionate and constantly looking for improvements. Furthermore, the style of communication is very positive. When production specialists visit us from the head office in De Lier, we don’t feel pressure but a great sense of trust instead.”

Nature
“The combination of working with plants and people is perfect for me. I still spend enough time in the field and enjoy the feeling of working with nature. Every time we start a new selection trial and the field is filled with tremendous diversity, it’s such a great view. When I look back on my time at Rijk Zwaan, I feel really thankful for the steps that I’ve been able to take – and I’m still only 31 years old and see so many possibilities ahead of me!”

For more information:
Rijk Zwaan
Burgemeester Crezéelaan 40
2678 KX De Lier
Netherlands
T +31 174 532 300
info@rijkzwaan.com
www.rijkzwaan.com