Case studies
Adel MacNicol
, North Norfolk
The MacNicol family own the 1,680 hectare Stody Estate in North Norfolk, which has been farmed by the family for 60 years, and currently contract farm a further 664 hectares locally. Cropping includes cereals, potatoes, carrots, peas, sugar beet and daffodils and the Estate has a wide range of partners including beef, sheep and pig tenants. The Estate is in a Higher Level Stewardship Scheme, which encompasses every habitat and includes grassland protection, hedgerow planting and coppicing, pond creation and the opening of a 13.5 kilometre circular public access route. The Estate regularly hosts educational visits and is also part of the Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative in order to carry out repairs to farm tracks and to prevent or reduce soil erosion into the River Glaven. The Estate has recorded over 100 bird species including grey partridge, turtle dove, sky lark, wood lark, snipe, lapwing, tree sparrow and yellow hammer. New arable habitats including buffer strips, wild bird seed mixtures, over wintered stubble and low input spring cereals are already benefiting these farmland birds and will also increase the existing population of brown hare.
David Airey, West Yorkshire
David Airey farms 1,000 acres of Britain's toughest terrain - a hill farm on the edge of Keighley Moor in West Yorkshire. David's flock of around 800 hardy pedigree Swaledale lambing ewes thrive at 1,000
metres above sea level - despite heavy rain, high winds and peaty soil. The whole of the farm is in the 
Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme, and the farm's heather moor constitutes a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Stewardship is reaping rewards and David is particularly pleased to see an increase in the numbers of wading birds including lapwings and snipe. This is a result of hard grazing, which creates bare land for chicks, and the removal of rushes, which provided cover for predators including crows and peregrine falcons. This careful management of predators has also led to growing grey partridge and hare populations, while the creation of scrapes (small pools) has heralded the return of greenshank and redshank populations. Without hill farmers like David, the famous British landscape would be lost as the moors became scrubland, highly susceptible to wild fires.
Sue and Terry Prince
Friesian dairy cows with 30 followers and a small flock of sheep. The farm is made up of small fields bounded by dry stone walls, which is a distinctive feature of the area. Located 1,000 feet above sea level with open views over Staffordshire and Derbyshire, the farm has colourful displays of cowslips, early purple orchids, harebells and many other flowers and herbs on the lower slopes. Bird surveys have found curlews, skylarks, goldfinch and hawks on the farm, while hares and butterflies are regularly seen in the fields. By modern standards the area of the farm is relatively small and, in order to make it work as a business, diversification has been crucial. The Prince family offer two B&B rooms and two cottages for self-catering holidays. In 2006 a traditional barn was converted for use as a wedding venue licensed for 10 weddings a year. The extra workload means the couple's daughter has returned to the farm with her husband, meaning the farm can one day be passed to the next generation. 