Fourth generation farmers switched from dairy farming to deer and run Fen Farm Venison stall on Grantham Market

The owners of a market stall switched from dairy farming to deer farming over 20 years ago and have not looked back.

Fen Farm sells its venison products on Grantham Farmers Market once a month and has done so for the last two decades.

The stall, run by fourth and fifth generation farmers, is being featured as part of a Journal campaign to support market traders.

Brian and Janet Wesley run Fen Farm, based in Horbling Fen, Sleaford, with their son Peter and his wife, Jane.

The family has been farming the land there for over a century, and it had always been a mixed farm which produced dairy and beef.

Janet, aged 80, runs the Grantham stall with husband Brian, 83. She explained how the farm went from dairy production to deer.

“My husband milked for 40 years,” said Janet. “Then, we were losing money and we decided we had to do a lot with dairy and couldn’t afford to do that.

“My son came back saying he had bought five deer one day. He got a pen and gates made and we’ve grown from there.”

The first deer came to the farm in 1994, with the herd building up to around 200 hinds and followers since.

Milk production on the farm ceased in 2000 and within two years there were no cattle at Horbling Fen for the first time since the family first started farming the land.

Janet added: “Deer don’t take so much looking after, they still need feeding but with dairy it was twice a day every day.”

The Fen Farm stall has been trading in Grantham for around 20 years.

Janet said: “It started on Conduit Lane. We’ve been moved several times since, but where we are now seems to be successful.

“[We enjoy] meeting people. We have regular customers and it’s become part of our social life now, because we’re both pensioners really!

“We still enjoy going and meeting regular customers and new ones.”

When asked how she thought Grantham Farmers Market could be improved, Janet said: “Advertising is always good for markets.

“In actual fact, Grantham Market for us has grown, we have an excellent market there now.

“At one point we were thinking of giving it up because it wasn’t very good, but I think perhaps the reason was because they kept moving us to different places, but people now know we’re there sort of permanently and it seems to work.”

To find out more, visit: www.fenfarmvenison.co.uk

Fen Farm will be on Grantham Farmers Market tomorrow (Saturday) and can also be found on markets in Stamford, Lincoln, and in some Norfolk towns.