Francie Gorman has been elected as the 17th president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).
Mr Gorman, a Co Laois beef and sheep farmer, said he was honoured to be elected by his fellow farmers following an election count in the Castleknock Hotel in Dublin.
He said he would lead the organisation in a united fashion and stand up to unfair criticism of farming.
Alice Doyle, from Co Wexford, was elected deputy president, the first woman to achieve that office in IFA history.
The count got under way at 8am, with count staff tackling more than 20,000 postal votes and thousands more cast through the IFA branch structure.
Two candidates were vying for the role of IFA president, the most influential position in Irish farming politics.
Mr Gorman was up against Martin Stapleton, a Co Limerick dairy farmer, for the position, both of whom took part in 16 separate hustings during the campaign and spoke to thousands of members of the IFA as they sought their support.
Mr Gorman secured 16,699 votes to Mr Stapleton's 13,210.
Mr Gorman will take over in January from outgoing president Tim Cullinan, who is coming to the end of his four-year tenure.
Four years ago, just under 23,000 IFA members cast ballots in the election, but Brian Rushe, returning officer for this election, had said he expected a higher turnout this time.
He said: "We made a change this year introducing postal voting and members have embraced that.
"We have received over 20,000 postal votes, and we will see how many come via the branch AGMs."
The turnout for the election was later confirmed as being just shy of 30,000.
So, what faces the new president when he takes over in the New Year?
It has been a tough year in agriculture, with many farmers, especially in the dairy and tillage sectors, experiencing a decline in income as international prices dropped.
Bad weather also affected farmers across the board, while the change in the upper limits of the nitrates directive has also caused an outcry.
In addition to all that, payment delays have annoyed some farmers, and many also feel pressure from rapid policy and regulation change, forcing them to adapt their operations to improve sustainability and reduce negative environmental consequences.
There is lots to do for the new president in leading IFA members through these challenges and to communicate and advocate on behalf of farmers to wider society.
