The Soybean - Argentina

My ultimate goal coming to Argentina was to gain an appreciation for industrial and international agriculture. In my opinion the photo above captures the essence of my ambition well – a soybean filled truck that has just been loaded (with 30,000 kg) to be transported to the port for export. The soybeans were harvested moments earlier by heavy duty industrial machinery from an 80 hectare (200 acre) mono-crop field once the moisture content of the beans were deemed to be dry enough for harvest.

It is one of my favourite photos I have taken so far on this trip for its aesthetic and also its meaning. It is a photo that captures a small moment of the international soybean industry, an industry that is very large, complex and has its share of contention. I would like to take this time to briefly discuss the soybean industry to understand why I am so impressed to be a part of it. (Please note the statistics that follow are approximates sourced from Wikipedia.)

In Canada, consumers have some knowledge of the soybean. In supermarkets, soy milk, tofu, tempeh, bean paste, soy sauce, frozen edamame, soy ice cream, soy cheese, soy meat and a plethora of other soy-based protein replacements have made a huge dent in the food retail industry. Despite the strong presence of soy in today’s grocery markets, it might be interesting for consumers to learn that only a small portion of the soybean production globally is for human consumption – the majority of soybeans are converted into defatted soybean meal which is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feed today. In fact, it has revolutionized meat production on an industrial scale by making complete protein available to animals for consumption and allowing them to pack on the pounds more quickly.

Despite being a legume native to East Asia, globally, the top producers of the soybean are the US (35%), Brazil (27%), Argentina (19%), China (6%) and India (4%). These five countries account for 90% of the world’s soybean production. In 2011, it was estimated that the US produced 10 million tons of the bean. The top exporters are Brazil (39%), the US (37%) and Argentina (16%) – these three countries total 92% of global exports. The top importers are China (41%), the EU (22%), Japan (6%) and Mexico (6%).

When I analyzed the beef, pork and poultry production globally, it was interesting to see how the soybean production and distribution aligned with the meat production industry. For beef, the top producers as of 2010 are the US (11,789,000 metric tonnes), Brazil (9,300,000 mt), EU (7,920,000 mt), China (5,550,000 mt) and Argentina (2,800,000 mt). Global pig stocks as of 2007 were China (425.6 million), US (61.7 mil), Brazil (35.9 mil) and Germany (27.1 mil). Global poultry stocks as of 2004 were China (3,860 million), US (1,970 mil), Indonesia (1,200 mil), Brazil (1,100 mil) and Mexico (540 mil).

What quickly became evident is that the top meat producers, the US, Brazil, the EU and China are also producing, exporting or importing the majority of the soybean production globally to improve their meat production.

The composition of a dry soybean is 40% protein, 20% oil, 35% carbohydrate and 5% ash. Its oil and protein contents are very valuable. In meat production for example, since corn is primarily composed of carbohydrates and is the primary feed supplement, the protein is very necessary for the animals.

At Los Potros, the estimates on production per hectare of their crops are soybean (3,000 kg), sorghum (7,000 kg) and maize (10,000 kg). Currently the soybean (soja) is being harvested. Approximately 30 – 40 hectares can be harvested per day with one machine, and Los Potros has 573 hectares planted this year – on all three of the properties owned by Establecimiento San Marcos there are 1517 hectares of soybean planted this year. The bean technology was originally purchased from companies that developed plants best suited for the conditions in this area. Los Potros saves some of their seeds every year to replant in the spring. They still need to pay feed to the original company for the continued use of the genetic variety they use on their farms.

Currently, one of the primary contentions about the soybean industry is the prevalence of genetically engineered soybeans. For example, in 1997, 8% of the US soybean industry was based on genetically engineered seed. In 2010 the proportion was up to 93%. In all fairness the US does have a history of combining industrial technology with the soybean – a history of which I was previously unaware. In the 1930s the Ford Motor company invested 1.25 million dollars in research and development of the bean. By 1935 it is claimed that all Ford cars had soy involved in at least one part of their production often in the form of soy plastic. Ford himself, was also instrumental at promoting the development of soy milk, soy ice cream and the use of industrial soy plastics.

Fears associated with genetically engineered commodities include the lack of knowledge consumers have about the implications on human, animal and environmental health in the long run that may result from the rapid genetic alterations of crops; patents on plant technology and seed ownership rights that have resulted from the money that has been invested in research and development; competitive inequalities that result from those that are and are not able to afford the technology; and dependency of certain farmers on the technology for their livelihood.

The debated ethical question about the long term health implications of genetically engineering plants, for example, has proven to be a barrier to entry into the EU market, as many EU countries have much stricter regulations on the use of genetic engineering in their foods.

Engineering includes technology from Monsanto, a multination agriculture biotechnology company, which developed a Roundup Ready soybean variety which withstands the application of their very popular herbicide, Roundup. Other soybeans are inoculated with strains of nitrogen fixing bacteria before planting to allow optimal growth and nitrogen fixation.

The soybean is a legume, which means it fixes nitrogen into the soil via a relationship with bacteria that develop in nodules in its root system. Nitrogen is most often the limiting nutrient that prevents plants from growing optimally, so it is interesting to learn that on industrial levels, farmers are able to use the soybean as a means to maintain healthy nitrogen levels in the soil after they would have been depleted the essential levels by maize and sorghum production.

This brings me to a much debated subject. People concerned with the ethical nature of the industrial food system, where large scale farmers work closely with behemoth multinational agri-food companies to successfully feed the people of the world, worry that the people involved in industrial agriculture are not taking care of their lands properly. I too often find myself on the discerning side of this debate wondering how much the faceless people of the agri-business world care about environmental and human health issues above the profit margins of their businesses. (Also, how much of the actions taken to produce more is rationalized by the need to feed people.)

After meeting the people who are a part of this system, I am convinced that it is not as evil as we suspect it to be, at least not in Argentina – I still have my doubts about the methods used in the US. The people who are making it happen care significantly about the health of their soils as their livelihoods depend on the long term ability of the land to sustain the animals and plants they hope to produce year after year. I genuinely believe that they are working to produce quality crops and beef at a large scale. I can vouch for the quality and civilized farming methods of the cattle for sure.

Also, I am less concerned with the implications of the genetic engineered seeds that are being planted than I was previously, but I maintain my concern about the use of herbicides and pesticides being spread on crops. The widespread use, with 3 -4 sprayings per crop cycle, on vast areas of land does compromise the micro-organisms that would naturally maintain the ecosystems on these lands. Arguably we are not by any means trying to support the natural ecosystems in these areas, nor are there plans to do so in the near future considering the lands being used for agriculture will need to continue their production far into the future to meet global demands. Yet the fact that growth depends heavily on the sun’s energy, rainfall, and weather patterns which are pretty much incontrollable, I believe that persistent suppression of many of the soils micro-organisms and constantly artificially controlling the soils composition will result in agricultural hardships in the future.

I am still torn on my feelings about this subject because I can make and understand the arguments on both sides. A part of me believes in the ingenuity and creativity of humanity to overcome any obstacle, and also questions how near in the future these ‘agricultural hardships’ may arise. If it is not in my lifetime, is it something I should really worry about?

Then there is a side of me that does believe in doing all I can to understand nature’s systems and preserve them for future generations. Or is it for the sake of preservation? Have we inherited the land from our parents or are we borrowing the land from our children? I don’t know. I tend to lean towards we have inherited it from our parents and our children, like we have, will inherit the land from us with the results of all our right and wrong decisions.

Regardless, I am here now, seeing in this moment in history, large quantities of soybean being harvested in Argentina for export to the global market. It is a process that exemplifies technological, mechanical and biological innovation and application. I am happy to be a part of this history and most of all, I am happy to be outdoors growing food.

Ameghino, Buenos Aires, Argentina: Feedlot

I've arrived in Ameghino, a small town of about 10, 000 residents that sits in the heart of an impressive agricultural world. I am here to spend one week learning about the feed lot and crop production side of the Argentinian beef industry.

I have spent the last four days at the Establicimento San Marcos S.A., commonly known here as Los Potros - the feedlots. Despite spending a month in the Formosa, and witnessing the open-air nature of the cattle industry in Argentina, I for some reason had it in my mind that a feedlot would be a contained indoor environment. That bubble was quickly burst upon my arrival at Los Potros.

The feedlots are no more than a collection of outdoor paddocks where cattle of different maturation or sex are divided and fed twice a day to meet optimal growth standards for the climate.

Ameghino is still extremely flat and is lacking the array of palm trees that covered the landscape of the North. Fall is in the air and the trees that are here, mainly in the town, have had their leaves turn yellow and start to fall. Many of the same land management methods practiced at Salvacion are evident in the landscape here in the central-south, though with their own unique flair. For example, there are few grazing herds, and those that are grazing are high-calibre Bonsmara herds, of which the offspring will often find themselves going to Salvacion to improve the genetic pool of the animals in the North. The water retention systems are similar with holding pools and pipe dispersal systems, however the water here is pumped up from the ground aquifers powered by quaint windmills across the property. Drought is not as big of an issue at Los Potros.

At a feedlot, the focus is obviously feeding the animals continuously and with the appropriate feed. There are seven different classes of animals each identified in different paddocks. The animals receive a mix of minerals, whole corn, ground corn, ground hops, safflower pellets and silo based on the phase of finishing in which they are presently situated. Feeding the animals, of which there are currently about 5000 on the ranch, is an all day job, 365 days of the year.
Above are the rations for the different phases of the animal feeding. The weight and proportions of each element need to be documented for each of the paddocks. To do this, a tractor with a shovel poors the different feeds into a mixer behind another tractor. Silo is always the greatest proportion, so it goes in last. Once the mixer is full, the feeds are mixed until they take on a darer colour and then distributed to the different feeding troughs.

Silo is an important part of feeding for the animals in the fields too - especially the bulls. One day Johnny, one of the administrators at the feedlots, took me to herd bulls from one field to another with a pickup! It was much slower than with agile horses, but I was impressed that we were able to move the big animals where we wanted at all. Once we got them to their new destination, we had to cut away plastic to make the large rows of silo available for them to eat. The silo is protected by electric wire too, because if the animals were able to have full access to the silo rolls, which they sometimes do after breaing through the wires, they trample and break the plastic which results in the silo going rancid.

All the silo on the farm is from the acres and acres of crops San Marcos S.A. produces. The three main crops are corn, soya and sorghum. Corn and sorghum can be used for silo, but most of the silo I have seen so far has been corn silo.

Once the morning feeding was done, I was encouraged to drive the tractor back to its parking place for lunch. Who can say no to driving an expensive John Deer....do you think my tractor's sexy?

And of course, I always like to finish the day visiting the horses. This gaucho is working hard to train a wild horse using this more docile one. He says it will take about six months. After riding the animals up North, I started to take it for granted that horses are just very docile and obedient creatures, when in reality it is the dedication and hard work put into them by the workers that make them so useful on the ranches.

Estancia Salvacion, Formosa, Argentina: Arrival

I arrived at the Paraguay international airport in Ascuncion yesterday around midday. There I was picked up by a driver and brought across the border to Argentina. The border crossing was extremely relaxed so much so that Richar, my driver, was able to take my passport for me to the two emmigration desks to exit Paraguay and enter Argentina while I stayed in the air conditioned car. Apparently, you can get anything through the border if you pay enough.

We drove from the border, la frontera, to Clorinda the small (200,000 residents) border town. There I was picked up by Johnny, my host for the next month. Johnny manages Estancia Salvacion for his father and the neighbouring Estancia Chinchorro for its Venezuelan owners. Estancia Salvacion has been in the family for 20 years. It is 27,800 hectares which is about 68,700 acres. Estancia Chinchorro is 15,500 hectares whic is about 38,300 acres. Between the two properties of over 100,000 acres, there are around 20,000 head of livestock including beef cattle, sheep and buffalo.




One of the first things I remarked about the land here is that it is very flat. Without the palm trees, I would feel like I was in Saskatchewan I imagine. When we drove through the property gates, the first thing I saw was four big trucks coming our way on the dirt road. These were filled with 1,350 calves that were being driven south 1,300km to the province of Buenos Aries to be fattened up.

After lunch, we drove through some of the property to see and to pick up a Paraguayan worker that was going back to town until Monday. Here, many of the workers are from Paraguay because of the proximity to the border, and the fact that Paraguay is a very poor country. I have learned that pretty much anything goes in Paraguay. There are little taxes which is good for quasi-legal importing and exporting businesses, but it also means there is no money to provide health care, welfare or infrastructure to Paraguayans. As a result, the people work very hard because they know if they don't, they won't eat. In contrast, the Argentinian government charges a lot of taxes and has huge safety nets for its citizens, which among other thigs has promoted a less productive and hard-working people. I do however like that Argentina practices the siesta, afternoon nap, and literally everything shuts down for a few hours after lunch.

On our tour to pick up the Paraguayan, who loaded all of his camping gear into the back of the truck then jumped into the back of the truck as well as we headed to the highway, we passed a number of acres that are dedicated to rice production on the property. The landscape was very powerful with the dry yellow of the rice plants being cultivated by machines, the deep blue of the levees between the rice paddy's where water was redirected and stored from the local river for the purpose of flooding the fields, and the vibrant green of the young rice fields.





At night time, there was a family gathering for Diego, the resident veterinarian. We had a asado a la parrilla, barbequed meet. After being in Argentina for only 9 hrs, I already knew that I liked my meat cuidado, tender. It will take me a few days to switch from Portguese to Spanish, which is evident by the fact that I keep saying obrigada and muito bao to everyone instead of gracias and muy bien, but I know it will come quickly.

One of the best parts of living here I think will be the massive toads that take over the walkway at night to eat the flies that are attracted to the balcony lights. They are as big as rats if not bigger! I was warned though to be careful of snakes in the dark and not to move any wood or items under which they may be hiding. In the 20 years on the farm, there have only been two seriously deadly snake bites that required anti-poison antidotes and hospitalization, and one of these was last week. I'll be careful.