By Stephen Gee
Soybeans may appear stable across the American landscape, but farmers and researchers reveal a system held together by risk and adaptation
Across the American Midwest, rows of soybeans stretch to the horizon, symbols of modern agriculture’s precision and scale. But beneath that orderly surface, says University of La Verne anthropologist Lauren Crossland-Marr, lies a system defined by uncertainty.
“I’m really interested in how soybeans became part of an infrastructure,” she said. “They feel very stable, but when I talk to farmers, they’re incredibly fragile.”
Her research explores how soybeans have become both essential and largely invisible within the global food system, even as their production depends on a network shaped by constant uncertainty.
That invisibility is part of what makes soy so powerful. It shows up in daily consumption in ways most people never notice, cooking oils, packaged foods, and the feed that supports meat production.
“If you had coffee creamer this morning, you had soy,” she explained. “Anything that’s processed, you’ve probably had soybean oil, and you’ve probably had it at the other end too through the meat you were eating.”
Rather than studying agriculture from afar, Crossland-Marr takes an immersive anthropological approach. Through participant observation, she embeds herself in the everyday lives of farmers, capturing the small, often overlooked moments that reveal how the system actually works.
Source : laverne.edu