Diary of a nature-friendly farmer

Much of the UK is farmed – about 70% – and most of East Anglia, where I was born and bred, is dominated by farmland. Farming in East Anglia varies with changes in climate and soil type, and that in turn lends itself to supporting a diverse range of farmland species too.
Land supporting nature

As you go to the lighter land of the Brecklands, you can grow sugar beet and potatoes. This landscape also supports rare Stone Curlews and Turtle Doves, and specialist arable plants. In North Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, we have the fenland soils that are the best in the country for growing onions, carrots and other fresh veg! These lands support Lapwings and other wading birds, while Corn Buntings and Skylarks thrive in the big open fields like we have in South Cambridgeshire. These fields are typical of the land at Hope Farm, where wheat is our main bread-maker, literally.