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Armindo Mugnol


Major Crops: Soybeans, oats, wheat

Farm Size: 7,500 acres (3,000 hectares)

Years Farming: 30+

First Planted Biotech Crops: 2003

Favorite Benefits: Preserves the soil.  Increased wildlife populations.  Simplified and complete weed control.

Family: Married, three children, two grandchildren

These new products are a very important factor for preserving the animals.
These new products are a very important factor for preserving the animals.
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ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
Brazilian Farmer Armindo Mugnol Cites Pros for Wildlife and the Soil

Brazilian farmers grew more than 23 million acres (4.4 million hectares) of biotech soybeans in 2005, which represents nearly a 90 percent increase in acreage over 2004 and the largest increase among the 21 countries that grew biotech crops last year.

One reason for the rapid adoption is genetically modified (GM) soybeans make it feasible and simple for farmers to adopt conservation tillage — practices that minimize or eliminate plowing of the soil.

“Our problem with erosion was very serious and it was very damaging to the environment to the extent that, in these crops, to produce 1 ton of grain in Brazil, we lost 10 tons of soil per hectare per year,” says Almir Rebelo, grower advisor and president of Friends of the Earth, a Brazilian grower organization that supports the use of environmental biotechnology.  “We solved this problem by eliminating tillage.”

Soybean farmer Armindo Mugnol plants 100 percent of his 6,250 soybean acres (2,500 hectares) with GM herbicide-tolerant soybeans.  “Biotechnology was the great solution together with conservation tillage,” says Mugnol, who has farmed with his brother for more than 30 years.  “It was the biotechnology that relieved us and gave us the means to better utilize our property — reducing expenses, increasing productivity and improving everything.  Everything got better.”

One of the other most significant environmental benefits of biotechnology that Mugnol and his family have seen is an increase in wildlife populations on their farm.  “We would never use a technology if we were aware that it would destroy the environment, because the farmer likes what he does,” says Mugnol, who has set aside 1,250 acres (500 hectares) within his farming operation for wildlife refuge.  “So these areas we save for the animals bring us peace of mind.

“These new products that come from biotechnology ... are a very important factor for preserving the animals,” Mugnol continues.  “Before, there were no longer wild animals here.  Now we have capivaras, emus, hares and birds.  So, what I can say is that ... I believe that biotechnology has helped a great deal and will help even more in the future."

Editor’s Note: View related video “What is Biodiversity: GMO and Biotechnology’s Impact on Ecosystems and Habitat Loss”

© 2006 Monsanto Company. All rights reserved.  The copyright holder consents to the use of this material and the images in the published context only and solely for the purpose of promoting the benefits of agricultural biotechnology.

Video Transcript



My name is Armindo Mugnol.  I have been in farming for 30 years … and have this property here and another one that make a total of 3,000 hectares.  Of this area, we cultivate about 2,500 hectares with soy, and the rest is nature-protected area. …

These new products that come from biotechnology … are a very important factor for preserving the animals. …

… Before, there were no longer wild animals here.  Now we have capivaras, emus, hares and birds.  So, what I can say is that … I believe that biotechnology has helped a great deal and will help even more in the future. …

… The rural producer likes the earth.  What makes us proud is to protect the soil. … We would never use a technology if we were aware that it would destroy the environment, because the farmer likes what he does.  So these areas we save for the animals bring us peace of mind. …

… I think that if we have 3,000 hectares that are taken from nature, it’s common sense to save part of it for nature.  Some people say that capivaras and other animals destroy the crop.  But I reply that some years — such as last year — we missed to harvest 70,000 sacks of soy because of drought.  So I don’t worry that these animals might destroy a little of the crop. ...

I think that the big problem is when people who don’t know about a certain subject want to talk about it.  Transgenic soy took so long to be made legal here because there were many … entities against it. … The ones who are against it either don’t have good enough information or have bad intentions. …

And, the society who lives in the cities listen to the media.  Sometimes it’s not what’s most reasonable that convinces them, but the ones who speak loudest or who are most in the media that convince the consumer.  But if they come here and see how it was before and what’s happened with our production, they will be convinced. …

… With 2,500 hectares, we work about the same we used to work 500 hectares when we had the conventional planting system. … We had to work night and day to be able to plant an area, which was one-fifth of what we plant nowadays. … So for us, biotechnology was the great solution together with conservation tillage. …

We had resistant weeds here, so we applied a series of herbicides and nothing worked. … So, we needed to manually clear off the weeds. … It was the biotechnology that relieved us and gave us the means to better utilize our property — reducing expenses, increasing productivity and improving everything.  Everything got better. …

So, biotechnology has changed the way we live. … Now we work in a much more comfortable system — much more humane for our employees. … So it improved life — both for bosses and employees.  So biotechnology was the best thing that happened to us.  Farmers and I think it will be the great solution for the country.

Editor’s Note: 1 hectare = 2.5 acres

© 2006 Monsanto Company.  All rights reserved.  The copyright holder consents to the use of this material and the images in the published context only and solely for the purpose of promoting the benefits of agricultural biotechnology.