Meet the 11-year-old boy who fell in love with agriculture during the pandemic, and dreamed of becoming a farmer. Today he rents his own plot of land where he cares for chickens and breeds sheep.
Joe Trofer-Cook’s passion for farming was sparked when he planted seeds in a new raised bed that his grandfather built for his seventh birthday.
A year later, after COVID hit, he began selling homegrown produce on a trolley outside the house, and saved “every penny” to buy three chickens.
Adding eggs to his produce market helped him earn enough to buy first four sheep—that he adorably named Rhubarb, Strawberry, Pumpkin, and Radish.
His mother, Clare Trofer, said that tending to his animals is a form of “therapy” for Joe who was diagnosed with autism during the lockdowns.
With the profit made from selling veg and sheep, Joe was able to rent a plot of land from a farmer in his English village of Billinghay, Lincolnshire. Over two years later, Joe now owns 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and a Border Collie named Spud.
“I was born to be a farmer—that’s what I say,” Joe quips.
“He the kindest, loveliest, quietest child you’ll ever meet – and so devoted,” said his 47-year-old mom.
“Most children are born into this world of farming, but this is something he’s built for himself.
“Joe was diagnosed with autism in lockdown, and it’s been the best form of therapy,” she explained. “He never asked to have friends over after school, all he wants to do is go straight to his animals.”
Now, ‘Farmer Joe’, as he’s known, is the youngest exhibitor of livestock at the Lincolnshire show in the 125 years it’s been running, and the dapper youth has appeared on BBC television.
Every day the young entrepreneur wakes up at 4:00am to feed his animals and recently has taken up spinning wool after someone donated a wheel so he could sell his wool.
“I’m so proud of everything he accomplished.”
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His first four sheep were female—ewes that cost around £80 each (around $100).
He next bought a male sheep—called Basil—and the following spring Joe welcomed his first lambs—when he delivered triplets before going to school.
Over the next year, he sold the lambs to afford a second-hand sheep trailer and bought two new ewes–Parsley and Parsnip.
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“Joe went to a farmer’s market and bid on another ewe, called Butterbean,” Claire continues. “She didn’t have any lambs, so Joe used his trailer to take her to exhibit at country shows where he got through to the championships – it just shows how resourceful he is. I think he works harder than most full-grown men.”
In November 2021 Joe was surprised with a gift of two calves he named Rosie and Flower, donated by the TV show Christmas on the Farm.
He keeps the sheep in a field that his grandparents own nearby, while the other animals are on land he rents from a farmer.
He recently re-homed a Border Collie, that he named Spud, who has done wonders for Joe’s anxiety, says mom. “Nighttime is hard for Joe due to his anxiety, but Spud helps comfort him when he struggles to sleep.
Joe now sells the wool, eggs, and produce he grows at local markets. He saved up for a camera to watch the sheep during lambing season and a special tunnel to house them in called a polytunnel.
“Me and his dad aren’t farmers, so this is all something he’s done by himself,” says Claire. But, his brothers (6 and 5) are not far behind.
“They really look up to him. They’re following his footsteps and all three of them are in a show ring this year at a county fair.
“We’re so proud of him—and I know he’ll own his own farm one day.” (Watch the SWNS video below…)
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