At 16, he had his own flock of sheep. At 17, he bought a tractor. Now Joe Rabicano, still just 18, has become Britain’s youngest farmer after winning the tenancy of a coveted chunk of prime Norfolk farmland, repelling competition from far more experienced rivals.
He has been given 42 acres of land close to Downham Market and owned by Norfolk county council, whose farming officers chose him to take over the land after its last tenant retired. Rabicano had just finished his A-levels last summer when he found he had his own farm.
“In the first year of A-levels, I had a flock of 20 sheep to look after alongside studying,” said Rabicano. “In my second year I had 50 sheep plus a tractor,