How a farm shop has increased livestock output to meet demand

Meat, potatoes and vegetables grown on-farm are sold through Marshall’s Farm Shop, which has expanded to include a restaurant, butchery, gift shop, and drive-through.

The Marshall family – winners of the 2025 Farmers Weekly Diversification Farmer of the Year Award – manage roughly 1,000ha of land across two sites.

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Based in Inverurie, the farm was founded by Kenneth and Moira Marshall.

Their three daughters – Christine, Julie and Shona – are involved in running the retail and farming operations and play a key role in future succession plans.

Farming activity includes 350ha of arable ground, 5ha of potatoes, and 2.5ha of carrots, cauliflower, and cabbage, which are all stocked in the shop.

The livestock enterprise consists of 500 suckler cows, 550 ewes, 30 breeding sows, and 2,000 laying hens.

Pig unit

Recent investment in pork production has enabled the family to expand output to satisfy growing demand from the farm shop, including the development of a new pig unit.

Christine says the breeding sows are now brought indoors into the new piggery for farrowing. She says the move into pigs was challenging, with it being a new sector to go into.

However, the new unit has allowed them to transform the process, leading to a reduction in the number of piglets being rolled on by sows, helping to improve survival rates dramatically.

Beef enterprise

The existing beef enterprise is set to expand to 600 cows during the next year, the majority of which are Aberdeen Angus, as they have found them to be easier calving than some of the continental breeds.

Wheat, malting barley and feed barley are grown on the farm, with some of the wheat used as feed for the chickens and pigs, while feed barley is included in rations for the cattle.

© Angus Findlay

Carcass balance

Each week, roughly two lambs, four beef carcasses and five pigs from the farm are processed and sold through the butchery and restaurant.

This integrated approach allows the business to improve carcass balance, with surplus cuts of meat from the butchery used in other products, such as pies, in the restaurant, reducing waste and maximising value.

The restaurant is a particular draw, serving up to 800 covers each Sunday, with almost all the ingredients in the Sunday roast lunch either reared or grown on the farm.

Marshall’s Farm Shop is open to the public seven days a week and employs about 125 people on-site, along with a further seven on the farm itself.

Kenneth says that by diversifying the farming business and selling directly to consumers they have been able to set the prices for their produce and be in control rather than being price takers.

Marshall’s Farm Shop © Angus Findlay

Expansion plans

An extension to the existing shop and butchery is ongoing.

The Fireside Bothy – originally created as an outdoor space for shop customers during the Covid-19 pandemic – has recently been refurbished.

The Marshalls have also had planning permission granted for a new on-site country store, adjacent to the existing farm shop, which will stock agricultural supplies and clothing.

An additional multi-purpose shed is being built for washing and processing vegetables and potatoes for the shop.

The shed will also offer storage for logs sold during the winter months, and provide space for a workshop and mechanic.

Other enterprises

Further diversifications include dog walking fields, a dog grooming facility, children’s play area, and a commercial and residential property portfolio.

An agricultural trailer repair business is also located on-farm, and a number of solar panels have been installed across the farm’s buildings, covering most of the electricity used during the day.