Shane Halpin wins 2026 FBD Young Farmer of the Year title
TU Dublin Horticulture graduate takes the national title the annual FBD Young Farmer of the Year competition.
Horticulturist Shane Halpin has been crowned the 2026 FBD Young Farmer of the Year. Hailing from Lusk in north county Dublin, Shane is making history as the first Dubliner to claim the title in the competition’s 28-year history.
Organised by Macra na Feirme in partnership with FBD Insurance and the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), the competition celebrates outstanding achievement, innovation, and business leadership among Ireland’s young farmers and growers.
After the event Shane spoke to former lecturer Rachel Freeman and said
'As a horticulturalist and grower, it’s great to get the recognition and honour to be young farmer of the year 2026. It’s great to bring it home to Dublin for the first time, I’m absolutely delighted to be presented with the award.'
In addition to receiving the overall title, he was named winner of the ‘Other Enterprises’ category award for his achievements in commercial protected horticulture producing cucumbers.
Living in Lusk, the heart of Dublin’s’ food growing region, Shane has been involved in horticulture from a young age. He graduated from TU Dublin in 2020 with a B.Sc. (Hons) in Horticulture and Shane acknowledged the impact that the Horticulture Degree programme in TU Dublin has had on his career:
'Horticulture at TU Dublin gave me a great overall understanding of the science behind everything I had been doing and more. Growing up farming and growing crops, I knew what to do, but not always why it was doing it, doing the degree changed that for me. During the second year of the programme, the opportunity to complete my work placement in the USA really opened my eyes to what could be achieved at scale. I had a great time at TU Dublin and highly recommend it to anyone interested in growing horticulture crops as a business. '
In 2021, Shane leased Welgro Produce, working alongside his business partner Sean, on the three-acre nursery. The enterprise expanded in 2023 through the acquisition of a second nursery, more than doubling its growing footprint. Today, Welgro Produce cultivates seven acres of cucumbers across multiple sites in North County Dublin.
One of the largest producers of cucumbers in the country, they operate from March through November, and the business supplies fresh Irish-grown cucumbers directly to retail, wholesale, and food service customers. Welgro Produce employs 10 full-time staff, scaling to 35 employees during peak harvesting periods.