Tasmania's horticultural businesses are expanding at such a rapid rate that new and willing workers are required to meet demand, according to TasTAFE horticultural trainer John Jeffs.
Mr Jeffs is training a new generation of horticultural workers for employment across the agricultural sector, to grow produce including cherries, garlic, saffron, berries, apples and vegetables.
Originally a cherry producer in South Australia, Mr Jeffs moved to Tasmania with his family, deciding he could not compete with the quality of cherries from the island state being exported to the mainland.
Since then he has not looked back. With several years of experience as a pest and disease nutrition consultant and producer, becoming a horticultural trainer was a natural progression.