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With his flat cap and checked shirt, Joe Trofer-Cook looks every inch the young farmer.

But this isn’t fancy dress – at the tender age of 11 he already rents land, breeds sheep, keeps cows and chickens, and owns a border collie.

His obsession with farming sees him rise at 4am every day to feed his animals. One morning he even delivered lamb triplets before heading to school.

Besides all of this, the enterprising schoolboy has a new sideline – selling yarn to customers using a spinning wheel recently given to him.

It has left his parents, Clare Trofer, 47, and Adam Cook, 45, scratching their heads. ‘Me and his dad aren’t farmers, so this is all something he’s done by himself,’ said Ms Trofer, a cleaner.

With his flat cap and checked shirt, Joe Trofer-Cook looks every inch the young farmer. But this isn’t fancy dress – at the tender age of 11 he already rents land, breeds sheep, keeps cows and chickens, and owns a border collie

With his flat cap and checked shirt, Joe Trofer-Cook looks every inch the young farmer. But this isn’t fancy dress – at the tender age of 11 he already rents land, breeds sheep, keeps cows and chickens, and owns a border collie

With his flat cap and checked shirt, Joe Trofer-Cook looks every inch the young farmer. But this isn’t fancy dress – at the tender age of 11 he already rents land, breeds sheep, keeps cows and chickens, and owns a border collie

It has left his parents, Clare Trofer, 47, and Adam Cook, 45, scratching their heads. ‘Me and his dad aren’t farmers, so this is all something he’s done by himself,’ said Ms Trofer, a cleaner

It has left his parents, Clare Trofer, 47, and Adam Cook, 45, scratching their heads. ‘Me and his dad aren’t farmers, so this is all something he’s done by himself,’ said Ms Trofer, a cleaner

It has left his parents, Clare Trofer, 47, and Adam Cook, 45, scratching their heads. ‘Me and his dad aren’t farmers, so this is all something he’s done by himself,’ said Ms Trofer, a cleaner

The 11-year-old is determined to become a farmer. He currently grows produce to sell and looks after a range of animals including cows, ponies and sheep

The 11-year-old is determined to become a farmer. He currently grows produce to sell and looks after a range of animals including cows, ponies and sheep

The 11-year-old is determined to become a farmer. He currently grows produce to sell and looks after a range of animals including cows, ponies and sheep

The pint-sized farmer’s business owes its origins to Joe’s grandfather, Pete Cook, 74, who built raised beds to grow potatoes in the family’s garden in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, to mark Joe’s seventh birthday in April 2019.

During the first lockdown in March 2020, Joe bought packets of seeds to grow his own vegetables. He sold the produce at the front of his house and used the money raised to buy three chickens.

The next step was saving ‘every penny’ to buy four ewes for £80 each. He named them Rhubarb, Strawberry, Pumpkin and Radish and then snapped up a male, or tup, called Basil in spring 2021 for breeding. This led to his first set of lambs, which he sold to buy a second-hand sheep trailer and two more ewes, Parsley and Parsnip.

By November 2021, he had been donated calves Rosie and Flower, which he hand-reared. 

The sheep are kept in a field that his grandparents own nearby, while his proceeds from selling wool, eggs and veg at local markets are used to rent land from a farmer in his own village. 

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At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock. As if he wasn’t busy enough, he attends county fairs to show his sheep and chickens.

At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock

At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock

At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock

The pint-sized farmer’s business owes its origins to Joe’s grandfather, Pete Cook, 74, who built raised beds to grow potatoes in the family’s garden in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, to mark Joe’s seventh birthday in April 2019

The pint-sized farmer’s business owes its origins to Joe’s grandfather, Pete Cook, 74, who built raised beds to grow potatoes in the family’s garden in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, to mark Joe’s seventh birthday in April 2019

The pint-sized farmer’s business owes its origins to Joe’s grandfather, Pete Cook, 74, who built raised beds to grow potatoes in the family’s garden in Billinghay, Lincolnshire, to mark Joe’s seventh birthday in April 2019

At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock

At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock

At present, Joe, whose father is a shot blaster and sprayer, has 37 sheep, 12 chickens, two cows and recently re-homed a border collie called Spud, who he is training to herd his flock

Joe at Newark show with Clementine yellow green rosettes. The sheep are kept in a field that his grandparents own nearby, while his proceeds from selling wool, eggs and veg at local markets are used to rent land from a farmer in his own village

Joe at Newark show with Clementine yellow green rosettes. The sheep are kept in a field that his grandparents own nearby, while his proceeds from selling wool, eggs and veg at local markets are used to rent land from a farmer in his own village

Joe at Newark show with Clementine yellow green rosettes. The sheep are kept in a field that his grandparents own nearby, while his proceeds from selling wool, eggs and veg at local markets are used to rent land from a farmer in his own village

Pictured: Ernie (left) with dad Adam, Joe (front left) and Stan (right)

Pictured: Ernie (left) with dad Adam, Joe (front left) and Stan (right)

Pictured: Ernie (left) with dad Adam, Joe (front left) and Stan (right)

Last week, he showed his lambs at the Rutland Show, where he came second in a class of 15 young handlers after being quizzed on his knowledge of sheep. The winner was 15. 

His mother says Joe, who has younger brothers Stan, six, and Ernie, five, works harder than most full-grown men.

‘He is the kindest, loveliest, quietest child you’ll ever meet – and so devoted,’ she said.

‘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 therapy. He never asks to have friends over after school, all he wants to do is go straight to his animals. He is determined to become a farmer and run his own farm.’

Joe’s exploits are chronicled on a Facebook page, Joe’s Garden Patch, which has 1,800 followers.