Howe Farms

Homesteading and Hops: Howe Farms Sticks to Values

A farm raising livestock, hops and a variety of crops isn’t what one might expect in the shadow of Chicago and just ten miles from Lake Michigan. Yet Lake County is home to Howe Farms where Steve and Jennifer Howe have gone back to their roots as they build a unique farming operation.

“While farming is in both sides of our family’s backgrounds, we are teachers by training,” says Steve. In 2013, after the passing of Steve’s grandfather, the Howes wanted to explore how they could continue the farming legacy and embrace family values. Land is very expensive in Northwest Indiana, so the couple started with an acre of hops at a time when craft brewing was coming of age. They enjoyed working with brewers and the operation started to blossom.

Raising chickens became the next element of the farm, experimenting with soy-free feed to help address a family member’s egg allergy. Steve, who had spent summers of his youth raising animals with his grandparents, enjoyed creating the feed and raising animals in a sustainable manner. Hogs and cattle quickly followed as the Howes developed their own feed. “Our feedline is called Heirloom Feeds and is distributed throughout the Midwest, including being part of the Indiana Grown program,” Steve says.

The Howes were renting a house near aging relatives as well as renting acres for the farm operation, but a home wasn’t available to buy. Then during the beginning of the pandemic, the farm next door to family property came up for sale. The farm, in fact, had been home to Steve’s great grandparents who moved to the country from Chicago in the 1880s. The Howes jumped on the opportunity and were then able to turn the horse farm into his dream rotational pasture system.

“Our focus is not on size, we rather be better than bigger,” Steve explains. “We look at the healthy side of things for all aspects of production, including the consumer, the animal, the community and the environment. We weigh all of these in our decisions.”

The farm’s go to market for their products takes a variety of approaches. They sell via wholesale, noting great support from local restaurants to whom they deliver. A self-service farm store is part of the mix as they live near subdivisions. “We stock the store and have prices on the packages, and customers come in and select the steak or whatever product they want and scan the QR code to pay,” Steve says. “We operate on the honor system and are proud to help our neighbors have access to healthy food.” The store was a huge hit during the pandemic and customer loyalty continues.

As the parents of busy teenagers, Addison (15) and Easton (13) who are involved in travel sports, the Howes are selective in marketing to free up weekends and have an employee who helps out.

Jennifer is still teaching, using the summer months for freezing and canning what they grow. The couple does select events, such as goat yoga in partnership with a fellow teacher as well as crafting unique dinners with trusted local chefs. Steve’s father, Mike, enjoys the maple syrup part of the operation and handles that aspect.

Transparency is at the heart of Howe Farms, and Steve wants consumers to ask questions and build trust in the food he is producing. “Increasingly, consumers buy from who they trust, so we want them to know all about how we do what we do,” he says.

The future is bright, and busy, at the Howe homestead. Their new line of Heirloom Feeds is launching this year, along with a dry aging program for meats and a charcuterie program featuring meat from their old world heritage livestock. A constant in the farm’s work is their focus on their values. “You can’t fake integrity, authenticity or gratitude. You must stick to values even if it means diverting short term dollars. We keep our eye on the long term,” Steve concludes.