MACRA NA Feirme, the farming and rural youth organisation, will elect a new leader today at its headquarters in Bluebell, Dublin.
There are three candidates for the top position.
The winner will replace the outgoing president, Michael Gowing from Portlaoise, Co Laois, who is completing his two-year term of office.
Members of Macra, which is Ireland’s oldest farm organisation with an estimated membership of over 10,000 young people, have been voting at club level over the last few weeks to elect the new leader.
The votes will decide whether Thomas Dolan from Wicklow, Alan Jagoe from Cork or Dara Kavanagh from Co Wexford will take over the leadership.
Mr Dolan (32), a beef farmer from Seskin, Tinahely, works on the family farm and with Kerry Foods. He has been involved with Macra for 14 years, and is its current Leinster vice-president.
Mr Jagoe (28) is a dairy, beef and tillage farmer from Carrigaline, Co Cork. He is a member of Carrigaline Macra na Feirme from the Seandun region in Cork.
He joined Macra nine years ago and has travelled to the Netherlands to study alternative farming approaches to dairy, energy and vegetable farming.
The third candidate is Dara Kavanagh (26), who is the current national chairman of Macra na Feirme.
He is a mixed farmer from Scarnagh, Inch, Co Wexford, and has served at club, county and national level in the organisation.