Farmers know that commodity markets, direct sales, off-farm jobs, and government programs don’t work for most smaller farms. Although the income is essential, it is by no means sufficient to maintain food production, and at the same time, rebuild local food systems and soils. As the owner of two small farms near Omaha, I am painfully familiar with this money-losing system. I have watched family members and neighbors lose money and land for generations (USDA, ERS).
The only way out of this slow-death spiral is to engage consumers – in large numbers. To reach Omaha area residents, our company is developing farmer-owned brands for food services and grocery markets. These brands will be financed by local investors and supported by locally owned food processing operations.
Consumers
There is no doubt that consumers are very interested in healthy, affordable foods from local growers and food companies. But without the financing to organize commercial-scale farms, modern food processing, and farmer-owned brands, we cannot reach consumers in nearby cities with our own products.
The market is enormous! For example, Omaha area residents spend about $8 BILLION DOLLARS per year on food from someplace else while farmers in our area earned only $1.3 billion per year.[1],[2]
To meet consumer demand, we are developing new commercial-scale regenerative and organic farms in cooperation with local food processors and qualified local investors.
Land First
We need farm families who want to stay in business by working with their neighbors and qualified local investors to build economies of scale for farmer owned food brands and commodities.
To build production capacity and cut costs, I am inviting these producers to join us in organizing regenerative production units.
As used here, a production unit is a group of contiguous and nearby farms leased by the current owners to one experienced local operator selected by the landowners. Farms will be leased from five to seven years at market rates – adjusted annually for inflation or deflation.
Our business partners offer affordable technologies and farm management systems that increase cash flow and profits by reducing net energy consumption while rebuilding soil, water and wildlife resources.
Marketing
Our marketing strategy is to develop three related market channels – in the following order, 1) High-volume specialty commodities along with direct sales brands that show retail potential, 2) Branded sales to cooperating institutional food services, and 3) Branded sales through retail grocery stores.
Getting the Word Out
To date farmers in eight counties around Omaha have expressed interest, but we need many more. I am asking the leaders of farm organizations and food advocacy groups, urban and rural economic development agencies, and local elected officials to help get the word out on public meetings with consumers and farmers. These meetings include information on the role of private investors in rebuilding local food systems.
More Information
Page 2 on this website explains production units and related public information, legal and financial requirements. Page 3 is on markets and market barriers to local beef. Page 4 summarizes my qualifications, introduces my business partners, and outlines my family history in farming.
Please read on and then contact me to schedule a public meeting.
Thank you.
Jim Steffen, President
Massena Corporation
402-317-2639
jim@MassenaFarms.com
Posted 04-25-2026
[1] USDA, ERS Per Capital Food Costs
2] 2022 Farm income totals, Census of Agriculture, Pottawattamie, Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Lancaster, and Saunders