Daniel Hawthorne, a beef farmer from Co Monaghan, was crowned FBD/Macra Young Farmer of the Year 2018 on Tuesday 11 September. He fought off competition from five other finalists to claim the award.

"Since 2012, I've been running the family farm with help from my father. Currently I have 30 Aberdeen Angus cows in a suckler-to-beef system, along with 50 ewes. I also run a store-lamb business handling around 400 annually," he said.

Daniel is a new entrant into the poultry sector, having obtained planning permission for a 12,000-birdhouse for free-range layers.

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He completed his Green Certificate in Ballyhaise Agricultural College and is a member of Newbliss Macra. Along with farming, he is employed full-time as a metal fabricator with Combilift.

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Six finalists for FBD Young Farmer of the Year named