Young Farmer of the Year 2021 Applications Open

 

Nominations and Applications for The FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards are now open. 

To Apply click here. Applications close 26 November 2021

To nominate a young farmer click here. Nominations close 22 November 2021

The FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards in association with Macra na Feirme, are sponsored annually by FBD and run by Macra na Feirme with partnerships with the IFA and the National Rural Network. The competition was launched in 1999 and has been successful in raising the profile of young farmers within their community by recognising their achievements and contribution to farming.

Competition Categories:

  1. Drystock - Beef and Sheep Farming
  2. Dairying
  3. Optimising Land Mobility - Collaborative arrangements, shared milking, contract rearing etc
  4. Other Enterprises- Tillage, pigs, poultry, forestry, equine etc.
  5. Career Farm Manager

Additional Awards:

  1. Best Young Entrant Award - A farmer who is under 23 years of age.
  2. The National Rural Network Biodiversity Award (sponsored by NRN)

Prizes:

In an exciting development, this year the overall prize fund is increasing substantially with an increased overall pot of cash prizes and the addition of insurance and hotel vouchers for category winners. The overall winner of the 2021 FBD Young Farmer of the Year will receive €5000 with each category winner and the Emerging Young Farmer taking home €1000. Each winner will also received vouchers from the FBD Hotel Group and FBD Insurance.

Important Dates:

Below are critical dates to any young farmer entering the competition:

Monday, November 22th Close of Nominations

Friday, November 26th - Applications close

Saturday, November 27th – Applications shortlisted to complete video

Thursday 2nd December - Video interviews to be completed by shortlisted applications  

13th December - Semi-final interviews 

Please note that there will not be a county round in this year’s competition. Semi-Finalists will be chosen from the interviews submitted.

17th December - Final 6 interviews & Awards Night

Eligibility Criteria:

To enter the competition, farmers must be:

  • Under 35 years in January 1, 2021 and a member of Macra na Feirme or the IFA.
  • Involved in the running of the farm on which they currently work on for at least three years, either full or part-time.
  • The applicant should hold an agricultural qualification.

Adjudication

 Candidates are judged under the following criteria:

  • Farm business initiative and innovation (20 Marks).
  • Knowledge of production costs and returns (20 Marks).
  • Vision and planning for the future farm business (15 Marks).
  • General agricultural, environmental protection and sustainability knowledge (10 Marks).
  • Involvement in agri sector and the community (10 Marks).
  • Personal development initiatives (10 Marks).
  • Farm safety (15 Marks).