Revealed: The 15 FBD Young Farmer of the Year semi-finalists for 2026

A total of 15 young farmers operating various agricultural enterprises across Ireland have been shortlisted as semi-finalists for the 2026 edition of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Competition.

The annual competition has been running for 28 years and is led by the Irish rural youth organisation Macra.

The aim of the competition is to “acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of young farmers in the agricultural industry,” according to Macra.

The 15 semi-finalists for the 2026 edition of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Competition are as follows:

Charlie Smyth, Co. Cavan;

Patrick Breslin, Co. Cavan;

Conor Murphy, Co. Carlow;

Andrew Russell, Co. Donegal;

Shane Halpin, Co. Dublin;

Enda Armstrong, Co. Galway;

Conor Wynne, Co. Kildare;

Shane Beattie, Co. Kildare;

Joanne Cushen, Co. Kilkenny;

Liam Barton, Co. Laois;

Paudie O’Dwyer, Co. Limerick;

Thomas Reilly, Co. Limerick;

James Boyd, Co. Monaghan;

Michael Tobin, Co. Tipperary;

Tom Delahunt, Co. Wicklow;

The winners of the prestigious young farmer competition will be announced at a special event on Tuesday, September 8, at the Heritage Hotel in Killenard, Co. Laois.

The competition is sponsored by FBD Insurance in partnership with the Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and Macra Agricultural Skillnet.

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.

Pictured at the launch of this year’s event are: (L-R) Emer O’Byrne, national head of branch strategy and sales performance at FBD Insurance, Josephine O’Neill, Macra president, Aileen Sheehan, FBD Young Farmer of the Year 2025, Maureen O’Meara, head of sales at FBD Insurance, Conor O’Leary, IFA Munster regional chair. Source: Gerard McCarthy Photography

Each category winner will be awarded €1,000, and the best young entrant will also be awarded €1,000.

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 must be under 35 years-of-age on January 1, 2026 and a member of either Macra or the IFA.

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

The finalists will be announced on September 8, in the afternoon and the overall winners will be announced at the event that evening.

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