The countdown is officially on as the finalists for the 2026 FBD Young Farmer of the Year have just been revealed.

It brings the closely contested competition one step closer to the final showdown.

Sponsored by FBD and run by Macra na Feirme in partnership with the Irish Farmers' Association and Macra Agricultural Skillnet, the competition celebrates the "ambition, innovation and commitment of young farmers across Ireland’s diverse farming sectors".

The overall winner will be announced at a gala event tonight (Tuesday, Sept 8) bringing the 2026 competition to an exciting conclusion. 

The 2026 finalists are:

Enda Armstrong, Galway;
Charlie Smyth, Cavan;
Patrick Breslin, Cavan;
Liam Barton, Laois;
Shane Halpin, Dublin;
Joanne Cushen, Kilkenny. 

FBD

The overall winner of the 2026 FBD Young Farmer of the Year title will receive a prize of €5,000 as well as the prestigious title.

In addition, the winner of the Macra Agricultural Skillnet Biodiversity Award will receive €500.

Each winner will also receive vouchers from the FBD Hotel Group and FBD Insurance.

The competition includes category awards for:

Dairy;
Dry Stock (beef and sheep farming);
Career Farm Management;
Land Mobility (Collaborative Arrangements, Shared Milking, Contract Rearing, etc.);
Other Enterprises (including horticulture, pigs, poultry, tillage, equine, forestry, etc.).

To enter the competition, farmers had to be under 35 years-of-age on January 1, 2026 and be a member of either Macra or the IFA.

Eligible entrants also had to be involved in the running of the farm on which they currently work, for at least three years, either full-time or part-time.

2025 winner

Last year's winner Aileen Sheehan from Co. Cork milked 140 dairy cows on a 100% leased farm and managed 28 in-calf heifers and 24 calves as replacements.

She began farming in December 2021 after leasing a dairy unit in Whitechurch, Co. Cork, purchasing a herd, and starting milk supply.

In 2023 she introduced her own heifers, and now runs the enterprise with her husband.