(Atlantic, IA) – The Board of Supervisors in Cass County, Tuesday morning, discussed the issue of farmland transition within farm families. The discussion was spearheaded by Jim Steffen, President of the Massena Corporation, who Board Chair Steve Baier acknowledged has worked over the years to help shape rural development projects and the future of rural counties. Steffen said his family owns two farms in the area.

Steffen, who is 83-years-old, said those properties will be sold unless they can do something different with them. The solution, he hopes is for he and his business partners with the Massena Corporation, to work with what are called “production units.”

He says the idea is not to “aggregate a whole lot of land and a whole lot of legal and operating responsibility.”

Massena Corp. President Jim Steffen speaks w/the Cass County BOS, 2-3-26

Steffen didn’t ask the Board for any contribution from the County or County services, but he is looking for local investors to help build-out the production units.

He said the only thing he would ask from the Supervisors, is to think about what the Massena Corporation is trying to accomplish, and perhaps help to sponsor or facilitate land owner meetings on the topic.

Board Chair Steve Baier said, “If there’s something we can do from an economic development standpoint,” he’s interested, especially if it gets younger people interested in production agriculture and cattle, including the possibility of working with local lockers, to form some sort of consortium for livestock producers.

Additional information on the Massena Corporation production unit concept is expected to be forthcoming.