Two Cavan farmers win 2026 Young Farmer awards
Charlie Smyth of Cross and Patrick Breslin of Corlurgan were recognised at the 2026 Young Farmer of the Year awards. Smyth was named runner-up in the overall FBD competition and won the Drystock Category, while Breslin received the award for Career Farm Management.
The awards are sponsored by FBD and organised by Macra na Feirme in partnership with the Irish Farmers’ Association and Macra Agricultural Skillnet. Smyth took over his family farm in 2019 and said the nomination had been a “great opportunity”. He described receiving two awards as a “huge honour”.
Smyth runs a dairy-calf-to-beef enterprise and has about 40 dairy calf-to-beef heifers grazing on the farm. He is one of 15 members nationwide of Teagasc’s DairyBeef 500 campaign and also participates in the Signpost Programme. A farm walk at his holding last year attracted 700 people. Farmers from Poland visited the farm in the week before the awards, and Smyth also takes on students. His activities include a free-range poultry farm and a contracting business.
After completing studies at Ballyhaise College, Dundalk Institute of Technology and University College Dublin, Smyth gradually expanded his cattle operation from 40 calves to 120. Early difficulties included disease outbreaks after calves were sourced from different suppliers, as well as poor genetics and extended finishing periods. The farm introduced a vaccination plan, lengthened its grazing season and adopted three-day rotational paddocks and strip grazing. It also invested in slatted sheds and meal silos.
The enterprise now buys 120 calves and finishes 120 animals from the previous cycle each year. Smyth said the farm was clearing €1,500 per hectare. He attributed its development to advice and research from Teagasc, which used the holding as a research platform. He has also spoken about the costs of the sector, saying that many people leave dairy calf-to-beef farming after about five years because of its high input requirements.
Breslin, aged 24, manages a 500-cow, crossbred, spring-calving dairy farm in Meath. He works there with four other staff members and grew up on a part-time dairy-heifer and calf-to-beef farm. During this year’s drought, the farm used some winter silage reserves and bought additional concentrates. Breslin said the measures were costly but necessary to keep the cows fed. The farm plans to take another silage cut before winter.
Breslin studied agricultural science at University College Dublin, managed a 1,500-cattle dairy farm in England and later worked on a dairy farm in New Zealand. He then joined the Meath operation as assistant farm manager and progressed to the senior role. His stated ambition is to farm independently on a large scale. He said the award could help raise his profile as a farm manager and create opportunities to pursue that ambition.
