Southland contract dairy farmer Tom Slee has taken delivery of a new New Holland TD5.90, awarded as part of his win as the 2026 FMG Young Farmer of the Year.
The 29-year-old was crowned at the Grand Final in New Plymouth, representing Otago/Southland alongside six winners from other regions. He joins his father Richard (1999) and Uncle Simon Hopcroft (2004) as the third member of his family to win the title.
From sheep and beef to dairy
Raised on a sheep and beef farm near Tuatapere, Tom has since moved into dairy farming and is now a contract milker, focused on building a sustainable business and a strong team.
A former Lincoln University student and BNZ graduate, he returned to farming after a short stint in the corporate world, while also racing at an elite level in adventure racing.
Tom is now in his second year managing the farm, which his parents had for 15 years, and only his third-year dairy farming. "I've learned a few tricks off them. I'm still getting my head around it, but I think we're getting there," he said.
The property, Lillburn Valley Dairies, runs 1100 cows on about 420 hectares. It is mainly dairy, with all dairy cow wintering done on the farm. Calving began back in August and is nearly finished.
"We've just about finished calving here, and it's all gone not too bad really," Tom said. "We'll start AI in November for four weeks."
Putting the TD5.90 to work
Since arriving, the TD5.90 has become the main tractor on the farm. Tom's team of four full-time staff use it daily, with contractors brought in for the heavy machinery work.
"It's been real handy ever since we got it," Tom said. "We've been using it for everything really, a bit of loader work around the farm. It's been really easy to get in and out of, and it's got good visibility."
He says the tractor's simplicity suits the farm, particularly for unloading trucks with pallet forks.
"It's simple and easy to use, which is good for us because we do a lot of unloading trucks with pallet forks. It's also four-wheel drive, which is great for the farm," he said.
"It's big enough to do 90 per cent of our work on farm, which makes it a really good day-to-day machine. The staff have all worked out how to drive it without me giving them too many instructions, which is good."
Tom expects it to prove its worth over winter as well. "It will be really good for us in winter to shift a few bales around," he said.
Back to the farm
Despite the title, Tom says the win won’t change his immediate plans too much.
“It’s been straight back to the farm for calving season,” he said.
“I love being out on the land with the cows and sheep, so hopefully I can just keep doing that.”