National Dairy Council looking for young Future Farmers

Future Farmer competition winners Daithí Kelleher, from Macroom Cork (left) with Jamie Ryan, from Lattincullen, Co. Tipperary, Clodagh Harnan from Coolaney Co. Sligo and Joe O'Brien from Co. Limerick (right), who all won a video competition to say why they wanted to be a future farmer pictured holding framing implements from their own farms at the National Dairy Council Garden at Bloom 2024. (Picture: Robbie Reynolds)

The National Dairy Council (NDC) is looking for enthusiastic young people from around the country to tell them why they want to be a Future Farmer for this year’s competition.

Four winners will be chosen, with each receiving a €150 One4All voucher, a guest spot on the panel at Bord Bia Bloom this summer, and – new this year – a class trip to a working dairy farm for their entire class.

The inaugural event last year was a huge success, with schools across the country entering with the hope of winning the top prize. Last year’s winners also got to meet the Taoiseach at Bord Bia Bloom, where they discussed with him what they loved about farming and what they hoped for in their future career.

To enter, students are invited to send a video, voice note, essay or poster to the NDC by email at futurefarmer@ndc.ie or Instagram via @ndc_ie before 5:00pm on Friday, 2nd May. It is not limited to students living on farms, and pupils of all backgrounds are encouraged to enter.

The winners will be announced on 9th May, with the panel at Bord Bia Bloom taking place on Thursday 29th May.

Sinead Whelan, Schools Programme Manager at NDC, said: “The future of the dairy industry lies in the hands of the next generation of farmers who will assume stewardship over the land and the responsibility for providing us with healthy, nutritional dairy products into the future. I see first hand the passion that young people have for a collaborative, positive future in this country, and the Future Farmer Competition is one way of encouraging them to record their hopes and ambitions for the decades to come.”

For more information about the Future Farmer competition visit www.moocrew.ie.