Community Heroes: Longtime grower Tony Slaughter takes pride in feeding the Tri-Cities region
COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Tenn. (WJHL) — Tony Slaughter has been farming in the area for decades. He said he takes pride in working the land and feeding his neighbors in the Tri-Cities.
Slaughter told News Channel 11 that he loves being a farmer. His fields are his office, and his crops are the product of his hard work.
“Well, I think what I like most about being a farmer [is] seeing things grow and working from start to finish,” he said. “And start with nothing and at the end of the season, producing a crop and I guess working for myself, too, would certainly play into it. I enjoy that and always being outside and never being confined in an office building or something of that nature, which I never have been.”
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Slaughter said being named the Grower Of The Year for Food City helps people understand where their food comes from.
“And they know where we farm. They can see our farm driving by, and they can say ‘What we’re eating tonight for supper comes from here.’ And it doesn’t come from another country. Or another part of the United States. And I think for a lot of people, that’s really important.”
It’s tough work. But Slaughter said he enjoys feeding his neighbors, and his office has a beautiful view. It’s a landscape he has loved since the 1980’s.
“My whole life, I never thought of doing anything else other than doing this,” he said. “It’s not been the most lucrative career, by no means, but it’s been a very rewarding career. I just never saw myself doing anything else my whole life.”
A rewarding career that will keep Tony Slaughter Farms feeding the region for years to come.
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