Four females in the final to find Ireland’s top farmers
The four women, from counties Cork, Monaghan and Westmeath, represent the highest number of female finalists in the history of the Young Farmer of the Year competition.
Selected from a pool of more than 400 entrants, they face competition from 21 male finalists for an overall prize fund of €10,000.
The final takes place today at the Seafield Hotel in Gorey, Co Wexford.
Macra na Feirme national president Alan Jagoe said the figures reflect a growing trend as more women enter the profession.
“It’s great to see women getting involved in what was predominantly a male orientated profession, becoming active farmers on the land,” he said. “The four finalists have beaten off strong competition to get where they are.”
Six women entered last year’s selection process for the Young Farmer of the Year, though none made it through to the final stages.
Aoife Ladd, 19, milks 54 cows twice daily at her father’s 87-acre farm in Castletownroche, north Cork. Farming extensively throughout her teenage years, she became actively involved in working the family farm when her father fell ill five years ago.
“He was out of work for seven months so that’s when I stepped in,” she said.
Having just completed a Level 6 Certificate in Agriculture, Aoife takes little notice of her place as a young woman in a male-dominated profession.
She said: “There is a lot of work in farming and I suppose in some ways men might be better suited to it but there are ways around things too.”
She will be competing against fellow Corkwoman Caroline O’Neill, president of Ballinadee Macra in west Cork, and fellow female finalists Elaine Dempsey from Monaghan and Claire Rynn from Co Westmeath.
The overall winner will be announced this evening and will receive a travel bursary worth €3,000 and a piece of specially commissioned art by Clare-based artist Erich Fichtner.
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