Southland
A Southland dairy farmer is heading to New Plymouth next week to chase the same national farming title his father won 26 years ago.
Tom Slee, 29, is one of seven grand finalists in the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition, running July 2–4 in New Plymouth. The event is in its 58th year and is widely regarded as the country's most prestigious farming award.
Slee works as a contract milker on the family farm in Blackmount, just outside Tūātapere. His father Richard claimed the national title in 1999. His uncle Simon Hopcroft won it in 2004. The family name carries weight in this competition.
"Having those family connections definitely adds a bit of pressure, but on the other hand I've been able to get some solid advice so I can put my best foot forward," Slee says.
His path to the final isn't a straight farming line. After school he went shepherding on a high-country station near Queenstown, then completed a commerce degree majoring in agriculture at Lincoln University, followed by a stint in BNZ's graduate programme. Farming pulled him back.
The grand final throws all seven competitors through a gauntlet of high-pressure challenges — big machinery, livestock, a Farmlet challenge, and a buzzer quiz on Saturday night that settles who takes the title. Thousands of spectators are expected across the three days, with a prize pool worth more than $90,000 on the line.
"The competition is pretty bloody stiff, but coming from the deep south, where farming is a way of life, I reckon I'm in with a shot," Slee says.
New Zealand Young Farmers chief executive Cheyne Gillooly says the finalist pool reflects how broad the sector has become.
"There's often a perception that farming is one-dimensional, but the sector encompasses an enormous range of skills, careers and opportunities, from livestock and machinery through to technology, science, environmental management and logistics."
"This year's finalists bring that diversity to life. They come from a range of backgrounds but share a strong commitment to the sector and to the rural communities they're part of," Gillooly said.
Alongside the main competition, 14 Junior Young Farmer of the Year teams and 63 AgriKidsNZ competitors will also contest national titles.