Cork woman named FBD Young Farmer of the Year makes history as the first female winner

Cork dairy farmer Aileen Sheehan has been named as the 2025 FBD Young Farmer of the Year. She becomes the first ever female to claim the top prize on the 27th edition of the awards.

Aileen was present to collect her trophy at the prestigious awards ceremony on Tuesday night at the Kilashee hotel in Naas, County Kildare. It was a remarkable night for Sheehan who also won the dairy category as well as the Skillnet Biodiversity Award.

As part of Aileen's acceptance speech, she spoke on the importance of women in agriculture. She said "behind every good man is a great woman and that's true, but we shouldn't be behind. It's time for women in the agriculture sector to step forward". 

Aileen milks 140 dairy cows on a 100% leased farm, managing 28 in-calf heifers and 24 calves as replacements. Her farming journey began in December 2021 after leasing a dairy unit in Whitechurch, purchasing a herd and starting a milk supply. 

In 2023, Aileen introduced her own Heifers and now runs the enterprise with her husband whilst raring their six-month old baby. Their farm has a strong focus on sustainability and is supported by three part-time staff members- Aoife, Sarah and Tadgh. 

Aileen is no stranger to earning awards after she won the Dairygold Milk Quality and Sustainability Award in 2024 with her husband. When they aren't farming, Aileen teaches PE and Maths whilst her husband serves in the army.

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Macra National president Josephine O'Neill paid tribute to Sheehan saying "History is made as we announce the first female winner of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year awards. On behalf of Macra, I'd like to congratulate Aileen Sheehan on her outstanding achievement. Throughout the competition, she has demonstrated her passion for and dedication to agriculture, the environment and her local community. 

O'Neill continued "Aileen is following in the footsteps of many trailblazers in agriculture and will no doubt represent the title with pride and integrity". 

Chairman of the FBD trust, Michael Berkery hailed Sheehan's achievement stating "on behalf of the entire FBD team, I extend our congratulations to Aileen Sheehan on this well-deserved award. The FBD Young Farmer of the Year award is a reflection of Aileen's unwavering dedication, passion and hard work. 

Berkery also touched on FBD's partnership with Macra and the Young Farmer of the Year awards commenting "we take great pride in supporting initiatives that celebrate the remarkable achievements of young farmers and their vital contributions to the farming community. We hope these awards will continue to inspire the next generation to build strong sustainable farm businesses for the future". 

Other winners on the night included Sarah Kelly from Sligo who was awarded Best Young Entrant, Tipperary's Amie Coonan won the drystock category, Carlow man Brian Fitzpatrick took home the prize for Career Farm Management and the Land Mobility award went to David Heraty of Mayo. 

The competition's runner-up Isaac Wheelock from Wexford was the winner of the Other Enterprises category. This year's showpiece agricultural awards once again recognised some of the best young farmers from around the country and showcased the high calibre of contestants participating in each category.