Wexford tillage farmer Isaac Wheelock was both surprised and delighted to be named winner of the ‘Other Enterprises’ category and over runner-up at the 2025 FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards.
The 35-year-old was one of the big winners at the coveted awards which took place at the Killashee Hotel in Naas on Tuesday, September 9 last, and reward young farmers based on a number of criteria, including farm business initiative and innovation, levels of farm efficiency and enterprise quality, farm safety and environmental protection awareness as well as agricultural knowledge.
“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,” FBD trust chairman Michael Berkery said.
Congratulating the finalists and winners, Macra na Feirme national president Josephine O’Neill added: “These prestigious awards celebrate the passion, determination, hard work and commitment of young farmers.
“Despite the challenges faced in Irish agriculture today, the FBD Young Farmer of the Year finalists are wonderful ambassadors for all young farmers who work so hard day in day out to incorporate sustainable farming practices and innovative technologies, acting as stewards of the land and leaders of their rural communities.”
The Wheelock family farm 750 acres in Davidstown, Co. Wexford, 17 acres of which is under Christmas trees, 50 acres under maize and the rest under tillage. In addition, his father, also Isaac, has a small beef enterprise where he finishes 120 cattle a year.
“We grow maize, wheat, oats, barley, oilseed rape, beans and Christmas trees,” the affable Wexford man explains.
“We grow maize to feed our own cattle and to sell on. We supply our grain to Cooney Furlong, John Cullen Grain and Cooladine Farm. I farm with my father Issac, mother Mary and brother Andrew, who is a teacher in Galway but is always available to help with the harvest. And not forgetting Conor Hassey, who is a Level 5 Green Cert student in Coláiste an Átha, Kilmuckridge, and who has been with us for the last three years. He’s a great young lad.”
Isaac was recognised at the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards for his vast knowledge of tillage farming, vision, willingness to diversify into other sectors and ability to think outside the box.
“It was a great honour to win the ‘Other Enterprises’ category and to be named overall runner-up. I wasn’t expecting either to be honest,” he says.
“Farmers don’t get the credit they deserve for the amount of work they put in, so it was nice to be recognised in this way. The Young Farmer of the Year is a great competition which wouldn’t happen without the sponsors or Macra.
“The judges said they were impressed by my knowledge of tillage, and the financial end of it in particular. The sector is on the floor at the moment which means the margins have never been tighter. With land being so expensive to rent due to the demand from dairy farmers, tillage farmers need to make the most of what they’ve got. My focus is on soil health and getting the maximum yield from my crops.
“To this end, I’ve designed an app aimed at helping tillage farmers to record information on the amount of seed, spray and fertiliser they use, and generate a report from it. They can build a picture of what’s working and what’s not. It’s all about gathering as much data as possible to boost your yield.”
There is no such thing as a quiet time of the year for the Wheelocks thanks to the success of their sustainable Christmas tree farm which continues to go from strength to strength. Located just outside Enniscorthy, the enterprise was established 25 years ago by Isaac Snr to help diversify the business. It has become tradition for many families to take a walk through the forest, enjoy the clean crisp country air and pick their perfect Christmas tree.
For those looking for a less strenuous experience, there is always a great selection of pre-cut trees in the yard that are never more than 24 hours old. Because the Wheelocks produce the trees and sell directly to the public at trade prices, they are able to offer an extremely good value product.
The species grown on the farm are Noble Fir, Nordmann Fir, Korean Fir and Fraser Fir.
“My father started growing Christmas trees as an alternative enterprise. It has grown from two-three acres to 25. We’ve gone from selling five to 1,500 Christmas trees a year. The harvest season runs from the start of November right up to Christmas, but there is a fair bit of work such as planting and pruning to be done outside of that window,” the award-winning farmer adds.
“It takes eight years from the time of planting the sapling to harvesting a tree when it is between five and six feet tall. Every tree that is cut down is replaced. It has become a family event for many people to call out and pick their tree every Christmas.”
Isaac uses a modern fleet of tractors and machinery to get the work done. He is currently running three Fendt tractors – 720, 724 and 930 – which were supplied by Kehoe Brothers Machinery in Camolin, Co. Wexford and Atkin’s Farm Machinery in Birr. Other pieces of kit include a CLAAS 550 combine harvester, a Challenger Rogator 655C 30m sprayer, a Vaderstad drill, a Bednar Phoenix grubber, Broughan and Deery three-axle grain trailers as well as Volvo L60 and L45 loading shovels.
An old head on young shoulders, Isaac will have further cause for celebration when he weds his fiancé Shonagh Harpur in the coming months!
Wheelock Farms Ltd
Davidstown,
Enniscorthy,
Co. Wexford,
Y21 YY52.
Telephone: 087 398 9814
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 13 No 3, Winter 2025
