Local Economic Development with Farmer-Owned Retail Food Brands
By
Jim Steffen
My children and I own two small farms in the Omaha area that we inherited from my parents. Our 78-acre Bennington farm is certified organic and has recently been converted to permanent pasture. We intend to rent this pasture to a local beef cow-calf producer who already sells beef to local residents.
However, this farm is too small to earn enough grazing income to cover our capital and operating expenses including taxes and maintenance for pasture, fences, and our paddock watering system. Our Massena, Iowa pasture is larger, but still not big enough to cover these costs.
Given these realities we need a new business model. With help from my business partners I am organizing a non-profit farm management and marketing company that specializes in rebuilding small farm profits.
Marketing Strategy
Although plenty of marketing advice is available to small farmers, there is no reliable research showing that small producers, as a group, can actually make money selling directly to consumers, to local institutions, at farmer markets, and on the Internet. In fact, USDA research shows clearly that small farmers have been going out of business for generations because they cannot compete in ever larger commodity markets or gain access to local retail grocery and food service markets.[i] The resulting loss of regional farm and food processing income, in combination with volatile commodity markets, has created very real food security risks in the Omaha area.
These structural risks, both urban and rural, can be reduced over time with coordinated local and regional food production, processing, and marketing. Our own market research shows clearly that Omaha residents want healthy foods from local farmers who take care of their land and livestock. Further, commodity firms are buying more specialty and organic crops for food manufacturers that supply major retailers.[ii]
We also know that Omaha area residents spend about 4 billion dollars each year on food for home consumption. But our economy has been losing out for generations because branded foods, including specialty and organic foods, come from outside of our trade area. We can stop this economic bleeding.
New Investor-Backed Food Chains
We will use our two Omaha area farms to demonstrate how our professional farm management and marketing services can increase retail access and commodity income for small producers. Our four-step farm and market development process includes:
- Organizing efficient regenerative and organic farms and gardens – with housing
- Writing business plans with farmer-controlled commodity and retail marketing elements
- Supporting farmers who contract with locally owned food processors and commodity firms
- Managing public and investors information events led by local landowners and farmers
We will offer privately funded business plans at no cost to selected farmland landowners, farmers, and food processing companies in the Omaha area.
Farmer-Owned Retail Food Brands
Local landowners and farmers have the land, but without extensive consumer and investor support, we cannot stay in business. This reality makes successful farmer-owned retail food brands central to systematically reducing food security risks and rebuilding local food economies.
Page 2 and 3 on this website have more information on farm and brand development. Page 4 summarizes our family farming history and offers bios for our key business partners.
Please contact me to learn about our farm management and marketing services.
Thank you.
[i] USDA: https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the-essentials/farming-and-farm-income, accessed 11-29-25.
[ii] OTA: https://ota.com/about-ota/press-releases/growth-us-organic-marketplace-accelerated-2024, accessed 11-29-25.
Posted 11-30-2025