DLG member Maren Ebinger from Argentina had already made herself available for an interview with us back in 2019. We learned that she emigrated to Argentina with her parents as a child. Her family is involved in crop farming, owns Angus cattle, and practices cow-calf farming. Maren is a veterinarian and worked in calf rearing, both on the family farm and on other farms.
Maren, the pandemic changed your life - you gave up your practical work on rural farms. Do you miss that work, or have you found a new sense of fulfillment?
Like for all of us, the pandemic abruptly changed my daily life - and, in retrospect, my professional life as well. The long distances I had to travel to visit farms, being away from home from early morning until late at night, were no longer possible. You couldn’t move around freely, let alone stop at a gas station for lunch or get a flat tire repaired (which is unfortunately quite common here due to the many poorly maintained dirt roads). Multi-day trips, which I used to take about once a month before 2020, became unimaginable. I had to completely reorganize my life.
I started offering online support, began teaching online, and nowadays I dedicate myself almost entirely to teaching. For that, I had to move to Buenos Aires. It’s important to keep in mind that although Argentina is geographically a very large country, about one-third of the population lives in the capital Buenos Aires and its surrounding area.
I mainly lecture at two universities: the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Buenos Aires, and the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at UCA (Argentine Catholic University). Teaching fulfills me deeply - it’s a way to share not only theoretical knowledge but also my practical experience with students. I’ve always wanted to teach at a university.
Still, I must admit that I miss the daily contact with large animals and nature. I do take students on field trips to the countryside, which is very rewarding because it allows me to fully combine theory and practice - but these trips are not very frequent.
One thing is certain: I do not miss the long car rides from one farm to another! And having a more structured life, with fixed working hours and weekends off, is much healthier. I used to work very intensively - even on Sundays - often neglecting necessary rest. The demanding and continuous work as a veterinarian for large animals took a toll on my body. My current life is much more balanced, and as I said, I truly enjoy teaching.
Why does Argentina adopt agricultural innovations later than Europe or the U.S.? What technologies and AI tools could support farmers?
Innovations are central to the growth of agricultural operations. The range of available technologies is constantly expanding, and new advancements emerge in increasingly shorter intervals. Most agricultural and livestock innovations are developed abroad and must be imported into Argentina. Import costs have been high for many years, and farmers receive no government support. Profit margins are generally low, especially due to high taxes. This makes it difficult to adopt foreign technologies.
Nevertheless, some farms do invest - typically those with higher production efficiency. Initially, AI-supported behavioral analysis was introduced. Among other benefits, this enables early detection of animal diseases, allowing for timely and targeted intervention, which improves herd health and care.
A recent trend is the use of milking robots, although they are not widely adopted. This is not only due to high costs but also because most herds are pasture-based. While robots can be used with grazing systems, they are mostly implemented in farms with barn housing. Building barns requires significant investment. The use of automatic milk feeders in calf rearing is even less common.
Innovations and investments are usually applied first in dairy cow operations, where returns are faster. Unfortunately, calf rearing tends to come second.
What are the consequences of the lack of government support for agricultural producers in Argentina?
The lack of adequate government support for farmers in Argentina has numerous negative consequences, which are further exacerbated by high export taxes. Over the past decades, many farms - especially small-scale ones - have shut down due to low profitability. Many farmers give up or switch to soybean cultivation, which offers the highest returns. However, this monoculture leads to land degradation and declining yields.
Rural depopulation is a persistent trend, leading to structural changes in the population. More people concentrate in urban areas, while rural regions suffer from a lack of labor. There are also hardly any government programs for insurance or risk management related to climate fluctuations.
To give just one example: in 2023 - 2024, a severe drought caused massive yield losses. In such cases, farmers must develop their own strategies to mitigate risks, which increases production costs. Under these conditions, investing in agricultural innovation is not easy.
Still, it’s important to note that many farms in Argentina’s agriculture and livestock sectors have achieved improvements in production efficiency without expensive investments. By increasing yields while maintaining stable costs, they create more room to adopt new technologies. In other cases, it’s also a matter of mindset - some farmers, especially livestock producers, run their agricultural operations according to old family traditions and tend to have a rather skeptical attitude towards technology.
What are the current developments in cow-calf farming in Argentina, particularly regarding feed availability, pasture management, and climate change?
Innovations in cow-calf farming are not common in Argentina. Cattle herds are typically raised on natural pastures, especially native grasslands. Breeding costs are lowest under these conditions, which is feasible in Argentina thanks to its vast grassland areas.
Some advanced producers increase herd size to boost meat production per hectare. To address feed shortages in winter and summer, they sow winter crops such as oats and barley, and summer crops, especially sorghum. Some even establish pastures composed of mixed grasses and legumes like alfalfa. The types of grasses vary depending on climate zone and soil type.
To manage pastureland efficiently, electric fencing is used. In calf rearing, supplemental feeding with grain corn or oats is common to increase daily weight gain. Fattening often takes place in feedlots, which are usually operated by someone other than the calf breeder. Feed in these facilities mainly consists of corn (grain and silage), soybean meal, and a vitamin-mineral concentrate. Feedlots require investments in infrastructure, feeding machinery, and manure management systems.
Awareness of livestock farming’s impact on climate change is more present than it was ten years ago, but it still doesn’t carry the same importance as it does in countries like Germany. Farms that measure their carbon footprint are extremely rare. In this regard, Argentina still has a long way to go.
In many countries, sustainability and the environmental impact of beef production are hot topics. How is this issue perceived in Argentina?
Sustainability is becoming increasingly relevant in cattle farming. As usual, dairy farming leads the way, followed by beef production. Dairy farming is more intensive, which means its environmental impact is greater and the need to address sustainability is more urgent.
As mentioned earlier, Argentina is far behind countries like Germany in this area - mainly because consumer demand for sustainable practices is weak or nearly nonexistent. The push often comes from international buyers of Argentine products.
Although new regulations regarding sustainability have been introduced in Argentina, they are not yet widely implemented. Making changes often comes down to cost, and investments that don’t offer quick returns are frequently neglected. Still, there is a clear trend: more and more farmers are joining the movement - not only due to pressure from international trade (Argentina exports a large portion of its agricultural products), but also out of a growing conviction that environmentally friendly dairy and beef production is essential for the planet’s future.
People are beginning to engage with the carbon footprint of meat production - something that would have been unthinkable in Argentina just a few years ago.
