The Country 17/06/26: Tom Slee talks to Jamie Mackay

We continue our series profiling the seven FMG Young Farmer of the Year Grand Finalists, and today we yarn to Otago/Southland region winner, a young man with great farming pedigree who was quite literally "born" to win the title.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
FMG Young Farmer of the Year twenty twenty six FMG
Proud principal sponsor since twenty fifteen. We're continuing our series
profiling the seven grand finalists for the FMG Young Farmer
of the Year title, which will be decided in New

(00:21):
Plymouth Taranaki July two to four. Here is a young
man who is born or is bred to win the title.
He's certainly got good breeding. His father, Richard Slee won
the title in nineteen ninety nine, his uncle Simon Hopcroft
one at in two thousand and four. And if that's
not enough, his other uncle, Bevan Hopcroft, is the best

(00:45):
farmer in Southland, probably Southland and Otago. Let's welcome on
to the country, Tom Slee. Tom, you certainly come from
a really good farming pedigree. Good afternoon.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Here are you going, Jenny?

Speaker 1 (00:58):
Well, I'm not going bad. More importantly, how are you going?

Speaker 2 (01:02):
Not too bad yet? Someone's shining down here, so yep,
all's well.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Well, I want to go back a step. I've talked
about your father, Richard winning in nineteen ninety nine. I
want to go back to your grandfather if I can,
because he's a legend, not only in Southland, but in
New Zealand farming circles. Along with the guy by the
name of Owen Buckingham, your grandfather Sidsley was responsible for
the farmer protest when they ran the old fifteen hundred

(01:29):
skinny old us down the main street of Imbicargo ninth
of June nineteen seventy eight, that's forty eight years ago,
and then they slaughtered them in a back section as
a protest against the freezing worker strikes. I've had a
lot to do with your grandfather Sid. He is a
champion bloke.

Speaker 2 (01:45):
Yeah, no, it's pretty cool.

Speaker 3 (01:47):
Certain, Yeah, he's always there for a bit of a
helpful advice.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
So yeah, pretty lucky to have up the cool grandfather's release.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
It started, I guess from Sid down the Lee family
has been very successful in building a bit of a
farming empire. What part do you belong in?

Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, so I'm yeah, I'm down the road on Eury
Farm near tour Teprie.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yes, contract making thousands down the mum and day.

Speaker 1 (02:18):
Like most good young blocks, you went off to Lincoln University,
you got your ad com degree. You spent a wee
bit of time in the corporate world. I think as
a banker with the ben Z Was it not your
cup of tea or Tom Slee? Were you always going
to go farming?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
I think always in the beck On mind was going
to go farming.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
Yeah, but now that it was real good, it could
be joh and yeah, it's good to be beck sort
of back on the tools now.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
So I've been asking all the Grand finalists that I've
spoken to so far, and that includes David Riesby on
Wednesday Monday, and of course Ed Lavor yesterday, what are
your strengths and weaknesses? Start with your strengths. Come on, Tom,
I'll be modest.

Speaker 3 (03:03):
I don't know my strength.

Speaker 2 (03:04):
Yeah, we probably done a bit of everything.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Really not real strong in anything, but yeah in your
time in a couple of years now and growing up
on the shen b farm and yeah, it'll leaven of banking.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
So I suppose that would be where my strengths? Why anything?

Speaker 1 (03:21):
What do you need to scrub up on? What are
you swatting hard for heading into this Grand Final?

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Oh I'm not very good at machinery, Jamie, so that's
always a bit of a challenge for me.

Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, and a bit of.

Speaker 3 (03:34):
Public speaking, and yeah, probably probably thinking outside the box.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
I'm a pretty simple sort of guy, so yeah, I'm
going to try and think out.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Tom, I think you're under selling yourself a week bit there. Interestingly,
like Ed Lavor who was on the show yesterday, you're
an endurance athlete. You've competed in God's Own and other
endurance events. How do you fit all this into a
busy life, a busy farming life.

Speaker 3 (04:00):
Oh he sort of seemed to make it where I
probably I probably was doing the endurance race is a
bit more than into the bank, to be fair. I
did one this year and it just broke me for
a month. But yeah, I actually did the god Zones
with d the first who the work is, so yeah,
could have been competing against him again, whip against him rather.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Than with him.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
Well, he's obviously a good mate. You're you're the same age,
both of you are twenty nine. This is your first
appearance at a grand final. I know you've been at
regional finals in the past. Am I right in saying that?

Speaker 3 (04:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (04:34):
Yep, you're right, yep. Yeah, I competed in three. I
think that's my third regional this year, so first time
at the grand final. So good to make it through.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
Well, Tom, Slee, you've certainly got the breeding to get there.
Great to catch up, Salo to your grandfather Sidsley, he's
a champion bloke. And also say hello to your uncle
Bevan Hopcroft. As I said, he is the best farmer
in South and without a shadow of it doubt. Just
ask him and a few pickers. Brian, you won't be
a mile away, Jamie good. Good to catch up.

Speaker 3 (05:06):
Thanks Tom, cool

Speaker 2 (05:07):
Kids, light up