The family, tillage farmers from Naul, Co Dublin, were presented with their award by President Michael D Higgins at today's International Conference on Family Farming in Dublin, to mark the UN Year of Family Farming.

The Whytes are a pioneering farm family totalling 15 farmers. The story started with Peter Whyte, a contractor who bought 22 acres of land in 1953. He married Brigid and they had seven sons and one daughter.

Peter and Brigid are now deceased but the Whyte brothers acknowledge that their father was an extraordinary man with a massive vision and work ethic. They also remember their mother’s hard work and her frequent trips to the fields with nourishment during harvest time.

All seven sons are farming and in turn have seven sons on the land. Farms were initially purchased in the 1950s and again in the 1970s as the sons joined the business after completing their education.

The philosophy then and now is that the business needs to grow by 100 to 150 acres to absorb a family member returning to farming. The door is always open. The brothers working together are: Jimmy, Peter, Eddie, Ollie, Joey, Martin and Anthony. The younger generation of sons and cousins are Peter, James, Dermot, David, Peadar, Kevin and Joseph. Martin’s wife Mary works full-time in the business on farm records and office management.

Between them, the 14 men farm 3,000 acres – 1,000 acres are owned individually by the brothers and 2,000 acres are operated through share-farming, leases and conacre. Together they produce over 6,000 tonnes of wheat, 2,000 tonnes of barley, 1,000 tonnes of oats and oil seed rape and 3,500 tonnes of potatoes.

The farm is Bord Bia, Bord Glas and Country Crest approved as they place value on having a marketing edge and quality produce.

The Whytes operate as a company. The farms are owned separately but the equipment, yard and profits are shared evenly between all the families. The land is farmed through the company, with all inputs and outputs logged and weighed with precise records and all of the farmers are paid a set wage. The philosophy the whole time is “fair play" and distribution of profits.

Each farmer has autonomy about the crops he grows, but any decisions on capital expenditure and machinery are made through the company. The Whytes recently installed the country's first straw burning grain dryer to reduce the energy costs involved in drying the 10,000 tonnes of grain produced annually. They also produce 3,500 tonnes of potatoes and 20,000 bales of straw for Monaghan Mushrooms, along with keeping cattle on some of the farms.

Community Contribution

Whyte family members make up 50% of the Naul GAA team. They have a huge involvement in sport and many of them are on the board of the GAA club today. All the Leinster winner families are extremely involved in fundraising activities, including tractor runs, clay pigeon shooting, autocross racing for the parish, the Dyslexia Unit and the cancer society.

Coping with challenge

Among the challenges facing the farm is convergence and concerns arising from the recent reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. The Whytes are looking at how they can diversify to add income to replace the reductions involved, while continuing to be positive towards their future in farming.

Overall impression

This family are 100% committed to the inclusion of every member possible into the business. There is a clear progression route and a strict plan of investment. Innovations are put in place to reduce costs and improve management. They are ready to use new technology and anxious to implement sustainable farming practices. The Whytes are immensely proud of what they are achieving and are very aware of preserving the farming family ethos. The wives are hugely supportive. Apart from Mary though, the other wives do not attend board meetings or make business decisions. According to Ollie: “There are just too many of us around the table already.”

All conflicts are resolved based on economics. If a member was to be taken ill or in need of support, the others would automatically take up the slack. The family comes first.