Dwayne Shiels, a pedigree sheep farmer from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, has been named the 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year.
Shiels, a lecturer in agricultural sciences at Atlantic Technological University, Donegal, also won the land mobility category of the awards.
The Donegal man, who completed a PhD with Teagasc on lamb mortality, is a keen pedigree Texel and Milford sheep breeder and has chaired the Milford Sheep Breeders Society. He also breeds Dutch Spotted sheep.
Category winners
The evening also saw a number of additional category winners:
Beef and sheep farmer Patrick Egan of Mayo was named overall runner-up and the winner of the drystock category.Dairy farmer Stephen O'Keeffe of Limerick won best new entrant.Horticulture grower Philip Tallon of Meath won other enterprises category.Dairy farmer Seán Kelly of Tipperary won the dairy category.Tillage farmer Conor Doran of Wexford won the biodiversity young farmer of the year award.Marty Party
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards, which were held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo, home county of the 2022 winner Christopher Tuffy.
Marty Morrissey, who was the evening’s master of ceremonies, entertained the crowd and the past winners in attendance were invited on stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards.
Macra president Elaine Houlihan said: "The FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards acknowledge and celebrate the talent, commitment and hard work of young farmers across Ireland. Tonight’s winner, Dwayne Shiels, is a shining example of the talent of Ireland’s young farmers.
It is our young farmers who are the future of farming in this country
"In fact, all of the finalists here tonight highlight the best and the brightest in the industry. What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards than with a slate of such high calibre candidates. Congratulations to Dwayne and all of tonight’s winners.
She added: "We thank FBD for sponsoring these awards for the last 25 years and the IFA for their partnership. It is our young farmers who are the future of farming in this country and these awards ensure that the future of farming has its night in the spotlight."
FBD Insurance CEO Tomás Ó'Midheach also extended his congratulations to Shiels.
"This award is a testament to Dwayne’s hard work, passion and commitment. FBD Insurance is proud to partner with FBD Trust to sponsor the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards.
"We are delighted to have been working with Macra for the past 25 years to support these awards which celebrate the achievements of our young farmers and their contribution to farming.
"While much has changed over the past 25 years, one thing that remains constant is the infectious energy, dedication and enthusiasm of competitors over all these years.
"Our hope is that these awards will continue to inspire the next generation of farmers to build their farm businesses for a sustainable future," he said.
Positive
IFA president Tim Cullinan congratulated the winner and all those who participated.
"This competition in conjunction with Macra na Feirme is an important part of our work to encourage new blood into farming. Anything that promotes the sector as a career option is positive.
"Without new entrants, we won’t have innovation or enterprise. I want to wish everybody every good luck in the years ahead," he said.
The aim of the competition is to recognise and reward the top young farmers in the country.
Entrants are judged according to a number of criteria including farm business initiative and innovation, levels of farm efficiency and enterprise quality, farm safety and environmental protection awareness and agricultural knowledge.
Dwayne Shiels, a pedigree sheep farmer from Letterkenny, Co Donegal, has been named the 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year.
Shiels, a lecturer in agricultural sciences at Atlantic Technological University, Donegal, also won the land mobility category of the awards.
The Donegal man, who completed a PhD with Teagasc on lamb mortality, is a keen pedigree Texel and Milford sheep breeder and has chaired the Milford Sheep Breeders Society. He also breeds Dutch Spotted sheep.
Category winners
The evening also saw a number of additional category winners:
Beef and sheep farmer Patrick Egan of Mayo was named overall runner-up and the winner of the drystock category.Dairy farmer Stephen O'Keeffe of Limerick won best new entrant.Horticulture grower Philip Tallon of Meath won other enterprises category.Dairy farmer Seán Kelly of Tipperary won the dairy category.Tillage farmer Conor Doran of Wexford won the biodiversity young farmer of the year award.Marty Party
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards, which were held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo, home county of the 2022 winner Christopher Tuffy.
Marty Morrissey, who was the evening’s master of ceremonies, entertained the crowd and the past winners in attendance were invited on stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards.
Macra president Elaine Houlihan said: "The FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards acknowledge and celebrate the talent, commitment and hard work of young farmers across Ireland. Tonight’s winner, Dwayne Shiels, is a shining example of the talent of Ireland’s young farmers.
It is our young farmers who are the future of farming in this country
"In fact, all of the finalists here tonight highlight the best and the brightest in the industry. What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards than with a slate of such high calibre candidates. Congratulations to Dwayne and all of tonight’s winners.
She added: "We thank FBD for sponsoring these awards for the last 25 years and the IFA for their partnership. It is our young farmers who are the future of farming in this country and these awards ensure that the future of farming has its night in the spotlight."
FBD Insurance CEO Tomás Ó'Midheach also extended his congratulations to Shiels.
"This award is a testament to Dwayne’s hard work, passion and commitment. FBD Insurance is proud to partner with FBD Trust to sponsor the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards.
"We are delighted to have been working with Macra for the past 25 years to support these awards which celebrate the achievements of our young farmers and their contribution to farming.
"While much has changed over the past 25 years, one thing that remains constant is the infectious energy, dedication and enthusiasm of competitors over all these years.
"Our hope is that these awards will continue to inspire the next generation of farmers to build their farm businesses for a sustainable future," he said.
Positive
IFA president Tim Cullinan congratulated the winner and all those who participated.
"This competition in conjunction with Macra na Feirme is an important part of our work to encourage new blood into farming. Anything that promotes the sector as a career option is positive.
"Without new entrants, we won’t have innovation or enterprise. I want to wish everybody every good luck in the years ahead," he said.
The aim of the competition is to recognise and reward the top young farmers in the country.
Entrants are judged according to a number of criteria including farm business initiative and innovation, levels of farm efficiency and enterprise quality, farm safety and environmental protection awareness and agricultural knowledge.
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