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University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
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From conventional to regenerative: how soybean farmers transitioned to organic in the U.S. and Argentina
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From conventional to regenerative: how soybean farmers transitioned to organic in the U.S. and Argentina
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Content
FROM CONVENTIONAL TO REGENERATIVE:
HOW SOYBEAN FARMERS TRANSITIONED TO ORGANIC IN
THE U.S. AND ARGENTINA
by
Melody Waintal
A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ANNENBERG SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF ARTS
SPECIALIZED JOURNALISM: THE ARTS
August 2021
Copyright 2021 Melody Waintal
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Amara Aguilar who assisted me through my entire education at USC,
providing me with amazing opportunities even before I was admitted to the university. Her eye
for multimedia storytelling has been the backbone and inspiration for the presentation of this
thesis. Thank you Lisa Pecot-Hebert, who’s impeccable eye for detail helped me fine-tune this
thesis and provide an outside perspective from the food lense. Thank you Tien Nyguen who’s
beautiful writing style is reflected in the editing of this thesis, always reminding me to be more
creative and artistic with my words. I also want to give an honorable mention to Heather Fogarty
who was my professor while I was researching this topic. She has guided me through my
interviews and helped me structure this story from the very beginning. Lastly, but not least, thank
you to Sasha Anawalt who not only encouraged my love for food, but helped me find the beauty
and artistic side of it. It’s been a great honor to be part of your last cohort with the Specialized
Journalism (The Arts) Program.
ii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………………………...…ii
List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………….iv
Web Link to Multimedia Story…………………………………………………………………...v
Abstract…..……………………………………………………………………...……………….vi
Introduction……………………………………………………………………...………………. 1
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
iii
List of Figures
Figure 1: Conventional vs Organic Farming…………………………………………………………….… 4
Figure 2: Principles of Regenerative Agriculture…………………………………………………………. 6
Figure 3: Agricultural Glossary…………………………………………………………………………… 8
iv
Web Link
h t t p s : / / s p a r k . a d o b e . c o m / p a g e / J v f k 5 O S j 6 s E o E /
v
Abstract
It’s in obvious places like your soy sauce, your tofu, and soy milk. But it’s what kids use to draw,
it’s in diesel vehicles, and it feeds the animals you see on your plate. Soybeans are the future, replacing
fossil fuels. However, soybeans, corn, or cotton crops account for 84% of the total glyphosate used for
agriculture in the U.S. annually. The average farmer uses 280 million pounds of glyphosate to grow 298
million acres of crops annually.
Glyphosate, also known as round-up, is the most common herbicide. It’s an important chemical
needed to control pests and weeds that feed off the crop and it plays a huge role in our food system. But the
growing amount needed to control those pesky plants is growing and growing. A big issue the agriculture
industry is facing is the growing resistance to these herbicides. Farmers have tried mixing different types
of chemicals, but over time, weeds get used to the chemicals and farmers have to either use more or switch
to a different option.
In Argentina, one soybean farmer is trying to go organic. A Belgium farm management company
is helping transition farms around the world into a type of agriculture that requires less agrochemicals. The
story explores how a farm can become more environmentally sustainable and thrive, comparing the
Argentinean farm to two U.S. soy/corn farmers: one organic and the other conventional.
vi
Intr oduction
Ten years ago, Désirée Dornier’s father, an architect who raised her and her brother in Munich,
bought a soybean farm in Buenos Aires. He wanted to reconnect with his roots in Argentina, he said. One
1
catch: no one in the family had ever operated a farm before.
When Dornier came across an article about the negative impact of herbicides in soy production in
a village in Argentina that was causing respiratory and thyroid issues, this was her call to action to learn
about farming and convert her family’s farm to be organic.
Dornier quickly realized it was going to be a challenge.
Argentina has the ninth-largest agricultural economy and is the third-largest soybean producer in
the world, with the United States being the first. The country also faces major health problems from the
2
widespread use of toxic herbicides, with the Doctors Network of Fumigated Towns estimating that 70
million acres of farmland are sprayed with glyphosate, an herbicide that has been linked to an increase in
cancer and reproductive abnormalities, among other risks. But despite the health issues, herbicides are
3
currently an essential part of soybean production.
“For many of our growers, herbicide is one of the bedrock chemistries that they use to not only
help to protect their crop from weeds,” Kyle Klunker, Director of Government Affairs for American
Soybean Association. “It gives them a safe, effective way to manage those weeds. It allows them to adopt
4
certain conservation practices with reduced soil tillage or cover crop use, that they may not be able to do
otherwise.”
Harold Wilkens is in his 16th year growing organic at Janie’s Farm, located in the Midwest region
of the United States. He was a conventional farmer for 23 years before first transitioning with 30 acres
56
6
“Janie's Farm Organic,”
5
Interview with Wilken, Harold on April 5, 2021
4
Interview with Kyle Klunker on March 28, 2021
3
Fermin Koop, “Glyphosate Use on the Rise in Argentina, despite Controversy,”
2
Lawrence Reichard, “Constelación Semillas Agroecológicas: A Seed Takes Root in Argentina,”
1
Interview with Dornier, Désirée on April 8, 2021
1
in 2003, followed by converting all 700 acres to organic farming in 2005. But because the wind and other
environmental factors can cause chemicals and seeds from one farm to drift into another, you’re only as
organic as your neighbors. Good thing for Wilkens, when his neighbors found out he made the transition
successfully, they were in, too, and rented their land to him. Today, Wilken’s family farms 3,200 acres
organically.
“I hated GMOs with a passion. I didn't like the idea of every acre that I own, I paid Monsanto so
many dollars to use their seeds.” Wilkens said. “It was like I was on a treadmill and couldn't get off. And I
gotta tell you, when I made the decision to go 100% organic, it was like a weight was lifted off of me.”
In three years they raised five crops. For the first year, Wilkens planted non-GMO soybeans
because they are more tolerant to herbicide than most crops in the terrain. In the second year, he planted
wheat with red clover as a cover crop in January. The following year he planted corn with rye as a cover
crop.
“Our goal as a farm is to always have something growing on our fields,” Wilkens said.
But the transition wasn’t easy, not just from an agricultural perspective but from a social vantage
point too.
“I had to die as a conventional farmer to basically be reborn into organic farming. I had to change
everything, all the way down to my doctor, my banker, my lawyer, my insurance agent,” he said. “There's
a lot of peer pressure amongst conventional farmers. If you don't do what they do, they really don't like it,
and they pick on you.”
One hundred miles west from Janie’s Farm in Dunlap, Ill., Stan Born grows corn and soybeans on
Vintage farm.
7
Stan was born and raised on a farm, but by the time he graduated college, his family moved out
of the countryside, and Born pursued a chemical engineering career, working for the multi-national
machinery and equipment corporation Caterpillar. After 33 years with the company, Born decided to
7
Interview with Born, Stan on April 5, 2021
2
return to agriculture, so he bought his own farm where he’s been growing corn and soybeans
interchangeably for the last 11 years.
On top of playing catch-up with agricultural technology, Born says when growing soybeans, “it
can be feast or famine.”
Margins for farmers can be pretty thin. Soybeans can produce $30-$60 per acre in profits, which
8
is about a 10% margin. Having a higher yield per harvest season is key to making a profit each year,
which is part of the reasons many farms rely so heavily on herbicides and other agrochemicals.
According to Purdue University organic soybean prices are nearly twice that of conventional
prices but for data collected between 2014 and 2018, the profit is estimated to be close to 37% for an
organic corn/soybean/wheat rotation compared to a 28% conventional yield.
9
Yet despite the higher potential for profit, the number of organic soybean farmers in the United
States is extremely small. “I think [organic soybean farmers are] like 1 or 2% of the total acres grown in
the United States,” says Klunker from the American Soybean Association. “It's a fairly small proportion
of the number of growers who are seeking to grow organically.”
So, why aren’t more farmers going organic?
9
Michael Langemeier and Xiaoyi Fang, “Comparison of Conventional and Organic Crop Rotations,”
8
Alejandro Plastina, “Estimating Costs of Crop Production Vital for 2020 Farm Businesses,”
3
Figure 1: Conventional vs Organic Farming
One major reason is the initial costs. There’s a three-year transition period before the USDA can
certify the field as organic. Not only are the crops adjusting to the soil and producing a lower yield than
10
before, but that product won’t have the organic price tag that would offset the cost of production
Organic farming also requires more labor -- sometimes hand-picking weeds and pests from the
fields or driving around more often with a special machine used for picking weeds. Whereas a
conventional farmer wouldn’t need to worry about the higher cost in gas and labor. Essentially,
transitioning away from GMOs and agrochemicals takes time — and time is money.
Born considered turning his 100-acre soybean-and-corn field organic until he discovered he
would need to take about 25% of his farm out of production every year to grow a crop that he wouldn’t
harvest. Growing cover crops like rye or clover is one way to fertilize the land and sequester more carbon
into the soil, but it requires more time and effort spent on a harvest that can affect the profit margin.
1 0
“Making the Transition to Organic Production and Handling,”
4
Animals are another method used to reduce fertilizers and herbicides. Between crop seasons,
cows or goats graze on that land before planting the next crop. One study found that integrating livestock
in soybean production could minimize the risk of a bad harvest without affecting the yield. But the cost
11
of learning to raise animals wasn’t right for him at that time.
Thankfully for farmers like Born, there’s a farm management organization dedicated to helping
farmers transition from conventional to regenerative agriculture in a financially and environmentally
sustainable way. Thomas Lecomte is the Head of Farm Management Services at Soil Capital, a
Belgium-based company that works with 20 different farms around the world that are trying to make the
switch. Over the years, farmers have been seeing an increased resistance to herbicides and, Lecomte
12
says, “these are quite classical problems, linked to Argentina, but you could also find these problems, in
other farming systems that are really based on GMO and high intensive cropping system, which are weed
resistant.”
13
When farmers grow the same type of GMO crops year after year, there comes a time when local
weeds become resistant to that herbicide, leaving farmers with few options to control those weeds.
Because the U.S. and Argentina are using GMO crops and facing weed resistance to herbicides,
Lecomte says there are a lot of similarities when it comes to agronomic and technical challenges.
Lecomte says battling weed resistance can be an uphill battle. Oftentimes farmers resort to other
chemicals with different active ingredients, but the costs accumulate since the farm needs to use more and
more chemicals to control those weeds. Many farmers are looking for alternate solutions and one of the
main systems Soil Capital encourages is diversifying the fields, by first planting multiple species of cover
crops as a weapon or tool to control these resistant weeds. The next step is planting trees, then integrating
animals and moving towards no-till farming. The end goal is to build a soil strong enough to the point that
little to no agrochemicals are needed.
13
Interview with Lecomte, Thomas on March 30, 2021
12
Soil Capital
11
Pedro Arthur de Albuquerque Nunes et al., “Livestock Integration into Soybean Systems Improves Long-Term System Stability
and Profits without Compromising Crop Yields,”
5
Figure 2: Principles of Regenerative Agriculture
But when it comes to commodity crops, Lecomte says, “going to zero is not always possible.”
Nevertheless, the company is able to reduce the use of agrochemicals to 40-50% by introducing
cover crops and mechanically removing them with a roller-type machine that removes the crops from its
roots to make room for the next crop. “Synthetic agrochemical reduction is always a topic for us, even
though it's not a final destination,” Lecomte says. “We are not systematically aiming for organic.”
Back in Argentina, before taking over her family’s farm, Dornier was an art producer for
institutions like the Berlin Biennial. When her father bought the land she enrolled in England’s Royal
Agricultural University, where she graduated with an MBA in advanced farm management.
The farm came with a tenant who had been growing soybeans for seed production for over 20
years; these soybeans are a significant source of income for the farm. Her goal originally was to find new
tenants in Argentina who wanted to grow organically --a nearly impossible task in a country where organic
produce isn’t in high demand like in the United States. Through word of mouth, she found Soil Capital.
Nearly two years into working with Lecomte, Dornier’s farm has managed to maintain a profit
with its tenant while they work on transitioning the farm to regenerative agriculture. They’ve since
6
planted trees and incorporated animals. The farm, now called La Delia Verde, is currently profitable,
leasing their land to their current tenant and growing corn, barley, wheat, yellow pea, rye and cover crops,
in addition to soybeans.
Her goal is the same as her father’s: to go back to their roots.
“In farming, you have one chance, every year, and change a little bit the system,” Lecomte says.
“So if you don't have a long-term plan, you quickly run late in terms of having the ability to really change
something.”
7
Figure 3: Agricultural Glossary
8
Bibliography
Janie's Farm Organic. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.janiesfarm.com/.
Koop, Fermin. “Glyphosate Use on the Rise in Argentina, despite Controversy.” Buenos Aires Times.
BATimes Newspaper, January 15, 2018.
https://www.batimes.com.ar/news/economy/glyphosate-use-on-the-rise-in-argentina-despite-contr
oversy.phtml.
Interview with Born, Stan on April 5, 2021
Interview with Dornier, Désirée on April 8, 2021
Interview with Kyle Klunker on March 28, 2021
Interview with Lecomte, Thomas on March 30, 2021
Interview with Wilken, Harold on April 5, 2021
Langemeier , Michael, and Xiaoyi Fang. “Comparison of Conventional and Organic Crop Rotations.”
Purdue University Center for Commercial Agriculture, June 26, 2020.
https://ag.purdue.edu/commercialag/home/resource/2020/06/comparison-of-conventional-and-org
anic-crop-rotations/.
“Making the Transition to Organic Production and Handling.” United States Department of Agriculture,
October 2015.
https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/Transition%20to%20Organic%20Factsheet.pd
f.
Nunes, Pedro Arthur de Albuquerque, Emilio Andrés Laca, Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho, Meng Li,
William de Souza Filho, Taise Robinson Kunrath, Amanda Posselt Martins, and Amélie Gaudin.
“Livestock Integration into Soybean Systems Improves Long-Term System Stability and Profits
without Compromising Crop Yields.” Nature News. Nature Publishing Group, January 18, 2021.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-81270-z.
Plastina, Alejandro. “Estimating Costs of Crop Production Vital for 2020 Farm Businesses.” Iowa State
University Extension and Outreach. Ag Decision Maker: A business newsletter for agriculture,
January 2020. https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/newsletters/nl2020/jan20.pdf.
Reichard, Lawrence. “Constelación Semillas Agroecológicas: A Seed Takes Root in Argentina.”
Regeneration International. December 18, 2019.
https://regenerationinternational.org/2019/12/17/constelacion-semillas-agroecologicas-a-seed-tak
es-root-in-argentina/
Soil Capital. Accessed June 25, 2021. https://www.soilcapital.com/.
9
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
It’s in obvious places like your soy sauce, your tofu, and soy milk. But it’s what kids use to draw, it’s in diesel vehicles, and it feeds the animals you see on your plate. Soybeans are the future, replacing fossil fuels. However, soybeans, corn, or cotton crops account for 84% of the total glyphosate used for agriculture in the U.S. annually. The average farmer uses 280 million pounds of glyphosate to grow 298 million acres of crops annually. ❧ Glyphosate, also known as round-up, is the most common herbicide. It’s an important chemical needed to control pests and weeds that feed off the crop and it plays a huge role in our food system. But the growing amount needed to control those pesky plants is growing and growing. A big issue the agriculture industry is facing is the growing resistance to these herbicides. Farmers have tried mixing different types of chemicals, but over time, weeds get used to the chemicals and farmers have to either use more or switch to a different option. ❧ In Argentina, one soybean farmer is trying to go organic. A Belgium farm management company is helping transition farms around the world into a type of agriculture that requires less agrochemicals. The story explores how a farm can become more environmentally sustainable and thrive, comparing the Argentinean farm to two U.S. soy/corn farmers: one organic and the other conventional.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Waintal, Melody
(author)
Core Title
From conventional to regenerative: how soybean farmers transitioned to organic in the U.S. and Argentina
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Specialized Journalism (The Arts)
Degree Conferral Date
2021-08
Publication Date
08/04/2021
Defense Date
08/03/2021
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Argentina,Corn,food journalism,food stories,North America,OAI-PMH Harvest,organic agriculture,regenerative agriculture,soybeans,Wheat
Format
application/pdf
(imt)
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Aguilar, Amara (
committee chair
)
Creator Email
melody@waintal.com,waintal@usc.edu
Permanent Link (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC15709328
Unique identifier
UC15709328
Legacy Identifier
etd-WaintalMel-9997
Document Type
Thesis
Format
application/pdf (imt)
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Waintal, Melody
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(contributing entity),
University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses
(collection)
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The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the author, as the original true and official version of the work, but does not grant the reader permission to use the work if the desired use is covered by copyright. It is the author, as rights holder, who must provide use permission if such use is covered by copyright. The original signature page accompanying the original submission of the work to the USC Libraries is retained by the USC Libraries and a copy of it may be obtained by authorized requesters contacting the repository e-mail address given.
Repository Name
University of Southern California Digital Library
Repository Location
USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA
Repository Email
cisadmin@lib.usc.edu
Tags
food journalism
food stories
organic agriculture
regenerative agriculture
soybeans