Thriving future is goal for forward-looking family

A family-run Suffolk estate is moving to a fully regenerative zero-tillage farming system – after experimenting with different cropping methods.

Many farms tackle generational change with trepidation, but the McVeigh family has used it to transform the Kenton Hall Estate into the hub for a diversified and integrated network of local businesses.

Located just outside Debenham, the estate has grown to include a wedding venue, cooking school, glamping site, and Duke of Edinburgh residential accommodation – all with farming at its core.

The farm and its businesses are managed by siblings Lucy Davenport, Tom McVeigh and Emily Aitchison, with support from the rest of the family. Their complementary skills and interests have spearheaded the estate’s business expansion.

Mr McVeigh, who takes the lead on the farm, was an early applicant for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pilot, which pays farmers to implement environmental measures alongside food production.

The scheme stacks up financially and the farm has been experimenting with different cropping methods, says Mr McVeigh, who has established a trial field that replicates the entire rotation of wheat, barley, beans, and borage.

A beetle bank or pollen mix alternates with walnut and hazelnut agroforestry to separate each strip of cropping and is effectively ‘controlled traffic farmed’ to minimise soil compaction.

The team has planted a 12-metre strip around the field to act as a wildlife corridor, allowing access to the whole farm. The theory is to join up wildlife habitats, enhancing the growth of populations, says Mr McVeigh.

The idea is to use the different crops as a firebreak for pests and diseases. An additional strip of grass has been planted to allow for turning machinery. This will be grazed by cattle during the summer months.

Careful management

The overall aim is to move the estate to a fully no-till regenerative system – although the heavy clay soils need careful management. “The ability to grow food is more paramount than the methodology behind it,” says Mr McVeigh.

“We have a strong agronomist who has managed the transition with other farmers. This year, we have bought a low disturbance subsoiler to aerate the soil and remove compaction without disrupting the soil.

“Our tractor now has autosteer, and depending on budgets, we hope to invest in a direct drill in the next year or so. These are the critical pieces of kit that we need to manage the transition to a new system, and my agronomist is confident we can do it.”

The changes, though, will take time. “For someone who is quite impatient, it has been a crash realisation that this won’t happen in two years,” says Mr McVeigh.

“It will be a minimum of five years, but more like seven.”

Fresh thinking and diversification are at the heart of the family’s estate management. In 1999, their father began a successful agricultural engineering business alongside the main farming enterprise.

The estate recently secured a ‘Cultivate a Generation’ grant from Kramp, which has supplied the farm business’s engineering workshop with tools, parts, and consumables since.

“Tom and I are the 13th generation of farmers in our family, which has been farming since 1640,” says Ms Davenport. “We haven’t just remained an arable farm – we have used the 185ha to launch other exciting projects and businesses.”

Diverse projects

The estate includes a wedding venue, cookery school and a glamping site – all managed by Ms Aitchison. These are all interlinked to manage seasonal peaks in demand and ensure Kenton Hall is busy throughout the year.

The engineering workshop means the estate can do most things in-house – building almost all of the farm’s infrastructure, from the glamping pods to a New Zealand-style circular cattle shed, which houses their pedigree Longhorn cattle.

The wedding venue is open throughout summer, and the glamping pods provide guest accommodation. On weekdays, when it is quieter for wedding bookings, teenagers doing Duke of Edinburgh residential courses use the glamping facility.

The cookery school has a full-time chef who runs it and provides most of the classes. Specialist chefs are then brought in for specific courses. Most indoor classes take place in the winter, and the school hosts barbeque courses in the summer.

“We produce beef on the farm, which is used in the cookery school or at our events. Five Rod Farm is a no-dig market garden that started here two years ago. They provide seasonal produce for the school,” explains Ms Davenport.

Five Rod Farm was set up by Mr McVeigh’s friend, Cameron Wheeler, who is a resident of the estate. It is a no-dig market garden growing seasonal vegetables, salad leaves, herbs, edible and cut flowers.

To apply for a ‘Cultivate a Generation’ grant from Kramp, visit www.bit.ly/krampgrant