My children and I own a 320-acre pasture south of Massena, Iowa and an 80-acre organic farm west of Bennington, Nebraska. Our Iowa farm is rented to a local beef cow-calf producer. Our Bennington farm is being converted from organic field crops to permanent pasture.
Like 90 percent of U.S. farms, ours are too small to be profitable in today’s national and international commodity markets, and in high value local food markets.1 Rather than selling these farms I am leading a project to develop a new business model to rebuild profits for a select group of smaller farms in the Omaha area.
Production Units
I am inviting farmland owners and farmers to join us in organizing regenerative production units that supply farmer owned retail food brands. These units will also supply selected commodity markets.
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 owners. Farms will be leased from five to seven years at market rates – adjusted annually for inflation or deflation.
The idea is to increase production efficiency for conventional and specialty commodity markets, while at the same time developing farmer-owned retail food brands in cooperation with local food processors and qualified investors.
Market Research
Our branding strategy will center on increasing farm cash flows and profits by measurably increasing commodity and consumer support for products sold through four market channels, 1) Conventional and specialty commodities, 2) Direct sales, 3) Volume sales to cooperating institutional food services, and 4) Sales through retail grocery stores. Initial market research will focus on commodity markets and direct sale brands with retail potential.
On the supply side, public information and meetings will focus on finding landowners and who want to stay in business by working with their neighbors and qualified local investors to build economies of scale for high-value commodity markets and farmer-owned retail food brands. Our goal is to organize a large number of highly efficient production units managed by local farmer-controlled companies. Smaller companies that cooperate on supply contracts and marketing will improve the local GDP by spreading capital, operating, and weather risks over a wide geographic area.
These producer-controlled companies will use affordable technologies and farm management systems that increase cash flow and profits by reducing net energy consumption while rebuilding soil, water and wildlife resources.
Building Support Among Farmers, Consumers, and Investors
I am asking local commodity groups, farm organizations, and elected officials to help get the word out on public meetings with farmers on production units and brands. To date, farmers in eight counties around Omaha have expressed interest.
I also want to schedule meetings with residents of Omaha and nearby cities to discuss markets and the role private risk capital in rebuilding local food systems.
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 04-05-2026