Our company offers an integrated package of regenerative farm and retail brand development services to beef cow-calf producers. We are looking for producers who can work together at the local to organize production and processing for retail brands. Page 1 on this website explains the need for farmer-owned retail food brands that are attractive to qualified investors.
Planning Agreements
To get started, we are inviting retired landowners and working farmers to discuss short term, non-binding planning agreements for landowner-controlled “regenerative production units”. The idea is to reduce costs and build profitable markets by organizing contiguous and nearby farms into efficient production units.
Retail Beef Brands
It is well known that commodity beef is not working for the vast majority of cow-calf farmers and ranchers. In line with ISU research findings, we are inviting cow-calf producers to organize or join local direct sales programs for specialty beef. Depending on consumer demand and supply, specialty products could include regenerative, organic, and grass-fed, etc. These brands will be supplied by farmer-controlled production units and supported by investor-funded by marketing professionals.
Food Industry Partners
Given our focus on producer owned beef brands, the owners of local feedlots, locker plants, and packing houses will play important roles in reaching qualified local investors. Further, our production units are well suited to pasture-based production of organic grain, pork, poultry, and in time, fresh produce.
Connecting large numbers of local investors and farmers is a big job. Most of the work will be handled by our partners and contractors under the direction of landowners and farmers. We will prepare detailed business plans that include suggested legal structures for farms and production units. We will also outline marketing barriers and suggest solutions.
Demonstration Projects
Our family farm corporation (Massena Corp. registered in Nebraska) will host two demonstration projects. The resulting farm-level business plans will show clear local economic benefits. As such, we are inviting farm and food industry organizations along with state and local economic development groups to fund these demonstrations and assist with planning.
As funding becomes available, production units will be developed in three phases. Phase I includes preliminary business plans for each farm and proposed production unit. This phase will also include public and investor meetings hosted by the landowners and managed by our development partners and contractors.
Phase II work includes final business plans with detailed cost and income projections for each farm. The final plans will include recommendations on legal structures and farmland succession.
Phase III will focus on product and market research for direct sales and retail brands.
An outline of Phase I work is available.
Please contact me to arrange an appointment.
Jim Steffen
402-317-2639
jim@massenafarms.com
Revised: 04-20-2024