The RSPB website has an excellent article describing the farm:
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'The Kendall family has been farming in east Bedfordshire for more than 100 years, and the changes to farming continue to be both rapid and challenging. Our particular farm layout dates back to the Enclosure Act of 1799, which is surprising given our average field size is over 30 acres.
This part of Bedfordshire appears to many as flat and unspectacular, but that was not always the case. Like many others we suffered a major setback in the 1970s when we lost more than 700 mature trees to an outbreak of Dutch Elm Disease.
Repairing that damage is a long-term project begun by my father who planted new spinneys and hedgerows in the aftermath of the loss of elm trees. In addition, we have a strange mix of Norway firs and maple trees, which provide glorious colour in the autumn and much needed warmth for birds during the winter.
Our ethos has always been to do this out of farm profits where possible, which I believe many farmers have done; something for which farmers have often received little credit.
On our farm we hope that our customers increasingly will reward our endeavours; by demanding British food that is produced to the highest standards and that benefits the environment.
Our main motivation was improving our patch of England where my family worked, lived and played. Game cover and vermin control have played an important part in increasing the diversity of wildlife species; aided by the creation of a small family shoot. These factors have contributed greatly to increasing bird numbers and wildlife diversity.
In 2003 we had our first bird count. The RSPB Volunteer & Farmer Alliance count found that on an area of about 300 acres we had 56 species of birds, many of which were of ‘a species of high conservation concern’.
In 2005 we signed up to the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, and in the course of the next four years we will plant 13 km of new hedges along with 6 km of coppice. We have planted grass margins around our arable fields and ditches, which significantly reduces any contact between inputs (that are vital for farming) and wildlife habitats.
Farming is facing an enormous transition and the role of environmental stewardship has never been so high on the political agenda. On our farm we hope that our customers increasingly will reward our endeavours; by demanding British food that is produced to the highest standards and that benefits the environment. We can all be winners in this.'
Also the Soil Association's profile describes Peter Kendall:
'Peter farms in Eyeworth, East Bedfordshire. The farm has changed over the last ten years from a traditional mixed farm to a totally arable unit. Peter took a degree in Agricultural Economics at Nottingham University, before returning to the family business in 1984. He became President of NFU Cereals in 2006, and is also a Vice-President of the European farm organisation, COPA. Peter sits on a variety of bodies in the UK and Europe, including IGD’s Policy Issues Group. At the top of his list of priorities is ensuring that the growing importance of agriculture and horticulture to food security and climate change are not only recognised by the Government, but reflected in its policies affecting farming right across the board.'