All farmers know that commodity markets, local direct sales, and off-farm jobs don’t work for smaller operations. As the owner of two small farms, I am painfully familiar with the real economics of this money-losing system. I have watched family members and neighbors lose land and money for generations (USDA, ERS).
The only way out of this slow-death spiral is to build farmer-owned food brands for food services and grocery stores in nearby cities. To succeed, these brands must be well financed and supported by modern food processing operations.
But who will pay to organize new farms and food processing? The food industry and/or government? No. However, there is a way.
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
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.
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 04-24-2026
[1] USDA, ERS Per Capital Food Costs
2] 2022 Farm income totals, Census of Agriculture, Pottawattamie, Douglas, Sarpy, Cass, Lancaster, and Saunders