Farmers Weekly Awards 2025: Young Farmer of the Year

Matt Hancocks of M Hancocks Livestock in Stockbridge, Hampshire is Farmers Weekly Awards 2025 Young Farmer of the Year.

Driven by a passion for the health and welfare of his animals, 21-year-old Stockbridge farmer Matt Hancocks has created a thriving business through grit, smart innovation and total dedication to doing things the right way.

See also: FW Awards: Meet the 2025 Young Farmer of the Year finalists

M Hancocks Livestock, now valued at about £170,000, has been built from scratch, with no family farm or outside funding.

Starting with just six chickens and a few store lambs, Matt has grown his 100-acre enterprise through determination, reinvestment and hard work.

“It’s always been the case in my mind that if you want it, you can’t stand around for help, you’ve just got to go and do it,” Matt says.

Farming career

He began farming as a young teenager, first looking after a handful of chickens and then by buying and fattening 40 store lambs on tack grass.

Today, Matt manages 85 breeding ewes, more than 400 sheep, and an increasingly large store beef enterprise.

He owns all of his machinery, including a new tractor. His practical, hands-on approach extends to maintaining and repairing his own equipment wherever he can to reduce costs.

A graduate of agricultural college, Matt balances day-to-day stock management with strategic growth plans.

He also works as a relief herdsman and contract shepherd locally, using the income for further investment and livestock growth.

“I mainly want to focus on cattle going forward, but I’ll keep my 85 ewes to the ram,” Matt says.

He aims to steadily grow scale and efficiency. “In five years, I want 100 breeding ewes and around 60 cattle,” he says.

Innovation

Small but mighty innovation plays a key role in his operation. He has installed solar panels on his electric fence batteries to save energy and reduce hassle.

Over the past year, Matt revamped his lambing system to lessen stress on both animals and handlers.

He also introduced a strict health protocol for incoming livestock, including worming and mineral supplementation based on veterinary advice and extensive research.

“I used to worm them all with Combinex, but recently switched to Cydectin and I follow that with Liquiflow to restore mineral levels,” he says.

“It’s worked a treat – last year they finished a month earlier after the change.”

Matt believes well-managed livestock are more productive and therefore more profitable.

“If they’re not stressed, they perform better,” he says, highlighting the improvements in finishing times and market values.

Biodiversity

Though not participating in environmental schemes, he has fenced off woodland and field margins to support biodiversity.

He cuts these areas once annually to protect nesting birds and insects and then leaves them undisturbed.

Matt is a big advocate for British agriculture.

“Agriculture is my passion, and I think it’s really important that people are informed about where their food comes from,” he says.

What the judges say

“Matt truly encompasses what it means to be a young farmer and is a great representative of the industry. He has built his business through sheer determination and a will to succeed. This is truly impressive.”