Growing More Than Food: The Little Farm Association Story
- Rene @ Little Farm Store
- Mar 29
- 9 min read
By Rene Cleveland
Author’s Note: This piece was originally written as a collaboration with my friend, Katrina Bogdon, N.D. of Our Healing Roots. I encourage you to visit her site and learn about a wonderful resource in Seymour, MO for healing and wellness.
Introduction
On a quiet afternoon in the Missouri Ozarks, farmers harvest vegetables that will reach local dinner tables tomorrow, not after traveling a thousand miles. Bakers and food artisans create preservative-free goods that will be delivered fresh and directly to families who are going about their day knowing that local food will soon arrive at their doorstep.
This isn't how most Americans get their food. But in our corner of Missouri, from Mountain Grove to Nixa, we're reimagining what's possible when communities take food systems into their own hands.
Our mission stands on the beliefs that strong local economies build resilient communities, and changing where our food comes from directly improves community health. What we eat, where it comes from, and who benefits from our food dollars shapes not just our bodies, but the places we call home.
Little Farm Association exists because we asked a fundamental question: What if we could make local food as convenient as grocery store shopping, while ensuring farmers earn a living wage and consumers know exactly what's in their food?
Local Food Challenges
The problem has been hiding in plain sight for years. Most small farmers struggle to make a living despite growing exceptional food. They really struggle to access enough customers to create sustainable volume through the usual routes of farmer’s markets and even CSA’s. Meanwhile, consumers who want fresh, local food find themselves limited to what is available at the local farmer’s market (if the community has one) or they have to drive from farm to farm to try and source staple items.
We saw both sides frustrated - farmers unable to reach enough customers, and community members unable to conveniently access a variety of local foods year-round.
The truth is that the convenience factor of one-stop shopping in supermarkets has won our attention as a culture. People are busy and do not have time or inclination to “hunt down” alternatives to the supermarket. They may want fresh, local, organic food, but they either do not know where to access it, or it’s just too complicated.
We wanted to see if we could shift these trends and perceptions and find another path that would connect these groups in an effective way to change the food landscape in our region and create a model that can replicate to other communities in the future.
Our Story
Ryan and I have parallel stories that led us to this realization. When he transplanted from Alaska, he and several members of his family came with the purpose of growing food and contributing to the local market as producers. After years of experimentation, Ryan concluded there MUST be a better way to get food from the farm to the people.
The family opened Little Farm Store & Restaurant. The people around Seymour who knew about this little gem loved it - and loyally visited each Saturday for the amazing crepes. But in the end, the restaurant model did not fill the niche Ryan really hoped to fill. He had a bigger vision for distributing local food to communities.
I met Ryan during his time as owner/operator (aka chef extraordinaire) at the restaurant. I, too, came to Missouri seeking a means to grow food after my initial efforts at self-sufficiency in Montana had not been fruitful. I arrived with the common dream of growing my own food and having a little homestead farm in the green hills.
We discovered during our chats in the kitchen that our values and visions were closely aligned - and before long, we became partners in life and then in business, too.
Little Farm Store (2.0) launched in June of 2022, after Ryan evaluated dozens of bits of technology and created a series of amazing spreadsheets to operate this complex system. His perseverance has paid off and our 3rd anniversary is fast approaching. Over these last 3 years, the work has grown and evolved. We are now a private member organization serving an area from Mountain Grove to Nixa, with 200 members supported by about 40 active farmers and food crafters. Our mission is to build a bridge that connects people with their local food community while enhancing regional prosperity and health through local food purchases.
The Economic Impact: Supporting Local Prosperity
The numbers tell a compelling story about what happens when food dollars stay local. When you purchase from a conventional grocery chain, studies show that about 16 cents of every food dollar goes to the farmer (USDA, 2023), and a significant portion of the remainder (perhaps as much as 60%) leaves your community, heading to distant corporate headquarters, processors, and industrial suppliers (Vital Communities). However, when you purchase local, farmers and food crafters receive an average of three times more on every food dollar, which means more money to recirculate right here in the Ozarks and support our local economies (AIBA).
For our producers, LFA aims to grow this economic model to offer something essential: greater access to customers and fair prices. A small farmer selling at occasional farmers' markets might reach a few dozen customers. Through our platform, they instantly connect with our current 200 member families who order consistently throughout the year - and that number has been growing steadily each month. As our numbers strengthen, this can have important, positive impacts on these food vendors, allowing them time and increased revenue to invest in their operations, plan crops and production goals, and most importantly, earn a living wage doing what they love.
The amazing thing about this is that the ripple effects extend beyond these individual producers. Think of all the local services present in each of our region’s towns. Tax accountants, realtors, hair salons, parts stores - all benefit from the circulation of the income made by selling local food to local people. Each transaction generates multiple economic touchpoints that strengthen the community. When food dollars circulate locally, they also help create resilience against broader market upsets (like the recent trouble with eggs).
Food Transparency and Healthy Communities
In today's world, what's on your food label often tells only half the story. Our members come to us not just for convenience, but because they want real transparency about what's in and on their food.
We do offer both conventionally raised items and organic or regeneratively grown options - and everything is clearly labeled so you know exactly what you're getting. Whether you prioritize price point, growing methods, or specific dietary needs, you can make truly informed choices about the food that enters your home. And, you know exactly which producer raised or prepared your grocery items. That connection builds trust and safety inherently because every producer wants the end user to be happy and healthy and come back to buy again. These individuals care about your experience, and that is the local difference between this system and far away suppliers who have no idea who you are at all.
There are no mysteries, no hidden ingredients, and no guessing games. Want to know if those tomatoes were sprayed? Just ask - we can tell you. Curious about how those chickens were raised? We can connect you directly with the farmer who cared for them. We connect with each and every producer and learn about their practices so that our members can trust the products they are getting.
Real food (not processed, sterilized, lab created) has the ability to make a huge difference in the health of our communities. We are just now beginning to learn about the detrimental effects of ultra processed items containing questionable additives and unlabeled flavorings and ingredients with names we can’t pronounce or identify. There are many studies now available that show again and again that diets high in processed food lack the proper substance and nutrition to support optimal health. An article released by the BMJ in 2024 showed powerful evidence that our current, conventional food sources may be linked to a whole host of health issues, including the rise of mental-emotional issues and gut disorders (Lane et al, 2024).
We want to be part of the solution, to help people access quality, healthy food sources that are beneficial to us and the lands that feed us.
Building Resilience and Community
Consider COVID - when store shelves were empty for the first time in a long time in the US, and large centralized distribution chains ground to a halt. It was a truly eye-opening experience for our culture. Meanwhile, the local food systems continued to function, with producers pivoting quickly to meet changing needs.
The pandemic revealed a fundamental truth about economic resilience: diversified local systems withstand shocks better than centralized ones. When a single meat processing plant shutdown affected the national supply chain, that was really hard for a lot of people. In a local system the network of small-scale producers can more easily maintain steady production. When transportation disruptions delay large supply grocery deliveries, local short supply chains can actually continue uninterrupted.
In localized supply networks, far away strikes, shipping embargos, tariffs, and disasters have a negligible effect on the availability of native, local food. When your eggs come from 10 miles away instead of 1,000 miles, the complex vulnerabilities of global supply chains simply don't apply.
This is the resilience Little Farm Association is passionate about supporting. Food security can have a strong role in not just food security but also economic prosperity. It's reassuring that no matter what happens in the wider world, our communities can feed themselves and come together to support something really magical.
One of our favorite parts of this whole endeavor is bringing people together. Despite being introverts ourselves, meeting farmers, artisans, and members is deeply fulfilling. We enjoy the sense of belonging that happens when everyone connects.
In a local system, you have a personal connection to the person or the farm that supplies your eggs or bread or butter. Knowing your farmers and food artisans helps you connect with your food, a basic source of life, and in doing so helps you value it more. Perhaps this is because we can see the hard work and care that these real individuals put into their products.
When you shop local, you create a sense of mutual support that builds community identity. Little Farm Association endeavors to be more than just a food hub - we're building a community. We've created online spaces where members can connect with one another and their food producers, we host member events and workshops, and we're working on resource connections for goods, services, shared expertise, and education.
Our Vision
Imagine a landscape …
where we rely more on our neighbor farmers and artisans than on bulk commodity items from big box stores.
where the economic strength of our rural communities comes from within rather than depending on distant corporations.
where people know exactly where their food comes from and can shake the hand that grew it.
Our hope is that this isn't just nostalgia for a simpler time - it's a practical, resilient model for the future. By making local food convenient and available year-round, Little Farm Association is aiding in the generation of an independent, localized infrastructure where communities retain greater control of their food systems and the wealth they generate, promoting health and prosperity.
If you are not already a member, you can join by visiting our website at www.littlefarmstore.com to learn about our organization, and then peruse the wide range of items we have to offer from a well-rounded network of producers by clicking SHOP LOCAL in the main menu. You choose your items and your delivery schedule with 100% freedom to purchase exactly what fits your personal needs best. We’ve eliminated the frustration of “blind boxes” and rigid subscription schedules. Select precisely what you want, in the quantities you need, in the time frame that works best for your household, and we’ll deliver your completely customized order right to your doorstep each week (or use one of our convenient pick-up locations).
This level of customization means no food waste from unwanted subscription items. Your pantry, your choices, your schedule - we're just making it easier to connect with the local producers you want to support. If you get stuck, or have questions, we invite you to contact us directly at office@littlefarm.store or call (417) 929-1338.
References
American Independent Business Alliance. "What Do We Mean By The Local Multiplier?" amiba.net, https://amiba.net/local-multiplier. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service. "Food Dollar Series." ers.usda.gov, https://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/food-dollar-series. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Vital Communities. "Study Underscores the Benefits of Buying Local." vitalcommunities.org, https://vitalcommunities.org/study-underscores-the-benefits-of-buying-local. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.
Lane, M. M., Gamage, E., Du, S., Ashtree, D. N., McGuinness, A. J., Gauci, S., et al. (2024). Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: Umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ, 384, e077310. https://www.bmj.com/content/384/bmj-2023-077310 (accessed March 23, 2025).