The Column An Interview with Howe Farms

Steve Howe has been part of The Collective since the beginning, an OG member, a friend, and one of those people who can say something casually in conversation that you somehow end up thinking about three days later.

If you know Steve, you know Howe Farms is not just a business to him. It's family, land, animals, community, systems, chaos, love, and and a whole lot of figuring things out as they go.

Howe Farms has become a local staple in Northwest Indiana for pasture-raised meats, but like most businesses that matter, it started with something simple and personal. So I asked Steve about the farm, the philosophy behind it, what it really takes to build something like this, and why community has always been at the center of it.

Mandy: Let’s start with the origin story. Howe Farms has become such a local staple for premium, pasture-raised meats. How did this all begin for you in Crown Point?

Steve: It really started with wanting something better for our kids to eat and the perceived freedom of being your own boss. It was that simple. I quickly learned that freedom was a pipe dream, because owning your own business is a 24/7 love affair. But after 13 years, I can honestly say the journey has been a dream come true.

There are so many aspects of the farm that I truly love. The views, the animals, the land. But the people are everything. I have amazing relationships because of the farm, and there are so many levels to those relationships. I’ve had the opportunity to grow unbelievable relationships with customers who I now call friends. I’ve gotten to watch my kids grow up on the farm we built. I’ve gotten to watch my parents and kids develop bonds I couldn’t have dreamed up.

But most of all, I got to build a life with a woman who makes me smile each and every day. The relationships and memories with others are what make our farm special. That is the motivation, every single day.

Mandy: I love that, because so many people go into entrepreneurship thinking they’re chasing freedom, and then realize pretty quickly that what they actually signed up for is a 24/7 commitment to something they care about. But hearing you talk about the farm, it’s obvious that even with all the work, the relationships are what make it meaningful. The customers, your family, the animals, the land, the life you and Jenn have built together, it all seems tied into the bigger philosophy behind Howe Farms.

Mandy: You call that philosophy “Breed. Feed. Lifestyle.” For people who care about where their food comes from, what does that look like in practice?

Steve: We are, and always will be, a pasture-raised, soy-free farm.

I could go on and on about the health benefits and the studies behind them, but people can do their own research. There is no perfect system and no perfect way to eat where every single health aspect is exactly what you’re looking for. I’m a firm believer that doesn’t exist in our current society.

However, every decision we make on our farm is based on our core values and what I like to call the four pillars of health: the health of our customers, the health of our animals, the health of our environment, and the health of our community. We look at those four pillars in every decision we make.

Mandy: That’s one of the things I respect most about Howe Farms. It’s not performative and it’s not just marketing language, you can tell the decisions are made with intention. The first time I visited in 2019, I was truly blown away by the thought and care that was behind every single aspect of the farm. 

I think people are craving that kind of connection more and more. They want to know what they’re buying, who they’re buying it from, and what kind of systems they’re supporting. But I also know that level of care doesn’t happen by accident, especially in farming.

Mandy: You and Jenn are running businesses, she’s teaching, your kids are in year-round sports, and I’m sure there’s always an animal, project, or problem that did not check your calendar first.

How do you balance all of that?

Steve: Life is definitely crazy for us.

We have two businesses, my wife is a teacher, and both of our kids are in year-round sports. It is sometimes chaotic, but we manage it pretty well. Jenn and I really are a great team, so we do a pretty good job of just getting things done. I’m a systems person, so I like to develop routines and systems that flow. She works well in spontaneous change-of-plan scenarios, so together we can pretty much accomplish anything. After so many years of the chaos, it almost seems weird to have any downtime.

Mandy: I think that’s one of the things people don’t always see from the outside. A business like Howe Farms doesn’t just happen because someone has a good product. It takes systems, trust, teamwork, and a lot of people willing to jump in where they’re needed. And that same idea shows up in community too.

Local businesses don’t grow alone, they grow because people believe in them, support them, tell their friends, use their products, show up at their farm stand, and choose to keep their dollars close to home. The Collective is built on the belief that local businesses are stronger together, and I know community is a huge part of Howe Farms as well. How have you seen Northwest Indiana show up for local agriculture?

Steve: I know I talked about the relationships earlier, but I can’t stress it enough. The community is the heart of our farm. I purposely do not ship items. Our goal is to take care of our own backyard. Support those that support you. We are Region Rats. The Region has always been our home, and we want our relationships here.

That philosophy has only been strengthened over the years.

Our community is our backbone. We work with some unbelievable restaurants run by some of the best people we’ve ever met. We’ve worked with breweries that have shown us love and compassion for over a decade. We’ve grown a customer base that has taught us how to love and care about one another in ways I could have never imagined. I couldn’t tell you how we’ve impacted the community, but I can go on and on about how this community has impacted us.

Mandy: That is exactly why I wanted to feature you for this column, because there’s a difference between a business that sells something and a business that truly operates as part of the community. One of the ways people get to experience that connection directly is through your Farm Stand on Grand Blvd. It’s self-service, it’s rooted in trust, and it gives people a chance to buy straight from the farm. Tell us about that.

Steve: In addition to our wholesale, we also have a self-service Farm Stand on the farm. It is open Fridays and Saturdays, and the menu comes out every Thursday on our social media. The Farm Stand is great because it allows people to come and get whatever items they need for the week directly from the farm. It’s one of those scenarios where people are trusting us with their food, and that is one of the most intimate things you can do. So in turn, we are trusting our community as well.

Mandy: I love that because people don’t always think about food that way, but they should. Feeding your family is personal, knowing who raised your food is personal and trusting the people behind it matters.

I think that direct connection is exactly what makes local businesses so different. You’re not just buying a product. You’re buying from people who live here, work here, raise their families here, and care about what happens here.

Mandy: Last question, The Collective is full of entrepreneurs, makers, founders, and creatives trying to grow their own dreams. As someone who has built and scaled a family farm business, what advice would you give another Northwest Indiana entrepreneur just starting out?

Steve: Learn to find comfort in the uncomfortable.

Balance doesn’t exist in entrepreneurship. Seeking it is a waste of time. Become an expert in solving problems and get used to that feeling, because in that journey you learn to be comfortable in the uncomfortable.

Huge thank you to Steve Howe for sharing his insight with us and giving us a closer look at the heart behind Howe Farms.

Entrepreneurship is learning how to keep going when things are uncomfortable, and farming, building a business, and building community all require that same kind of resilience. You figure things out as you go, adapt when plans change, solve the next problem in front of you, and eventually you look around and realize you didn’t just build a business. You also built relationships, trust, memories, and something that matters to people.

That’s what Howe Farms represents to me. It’s not just premium, pasture-raised meat, a farm stand, or a local business, it’s Steve, Jenn, and their family building something with intention and staying committed to taking care of their own backyard.

It’s also a reminder that community is not some abstract idea. It’s built through actual people choosing to support each other, week after week, year after year, and Howe Farms has been doing exactly that.

To learn more about Howe Farms, visit howefarmsmeats.com or follow them on social media for weekly Farm Stand updates.