|
Mr. Cliffe has been involved in horticulture for 35 years within the seed and nursery industry. Having spent 20 years with Yates Seeds Ltd during which time he had wide exposure to the vegetable, flower and coarse grain industries. As farm manager of the company’s research stations, he also has considerable hands-on production experience along with an understanding of corporate management.
He is the owner of Narromine Transplants, a large container seedling-growing nursery based in the Central West of New South Wales and specialising in the supply of seedlings and other planting material to the forestry, citrus, winegrape and processing tomato industries. Previously a Yates subsidiary which he helped establish and manage for the company and eventually took over in a buyout in 1992, Narromine Transplants is recognised as a leader and innovator in its field with markets in all the Eastern States and South Australia; the nursery has a full time staff of 10 and up to a further 20 part time workers.
Mr. Cliffe has travelled extensively both overseas and domestically, looking at all aspects of nursery and horticultural production with an early emphasis on vegetables but more recently with forestry, winegrapes and citrus, particularly clonal propagation of Eucalyptus species.
He has a background with the Nursery and Garden Industry of Australia, having been a director of the Association in 1988 then again from 1993 to1997 and as President in 1998/99. Some other positions and committees he has served on include; Chairman Greening Australia Council, the Horticultural Alliance Steering committee, Horticultural Industry Consultative Group and Australian delegate to the Association of International Horticultural Producers. In 2002 he received the NGIA Award of Honour in recognition of his services to the industry and in 2004, life membership.
^ back to top
|