Villaguay, Entre Ríos — Jorge Neifert’s story begins humbly, much like the fertile soil of Entre Ríos that shaped him. He was not born into wealth or privilege but into the quiet rhythm of daily sacrifice, where dawn came with the scent of fresh milk and the gentle hands of his parents, tending to their 50 hectares in the town of Federal. For young Jorge, this small dairy farm was not just a piece of land—it was the foundation of lessons that would one day lead him to manage 11,000 hectares of farmland and helm a leading agricultural business.
Nurturing Dreams in the Soil of Hardship
“I used to wake up every morning to the sound of cows lowing and the sight of my parents working tirelessly,” Neifert reflects. “We didn’t have a middleman; it was just us, milking the cows, one by one. I learned early on that in farming, every drop of sweat means something.”
But Jorge had bigger dreams—a vision of scaling beyond the small plots he knew so well. After finishing secondary school, he packed his ambitions and moved to Esperanza to study Agronomy. There, he found not just an education but the tools to transform his family’s legacy into something far greater.
The young man who once milked cows by hand would go on to manage vast expanses of agricultural and livestock production, spanning over 11,000 hectares. Yet, this journey wasn’t handed to him—it was built with grit, strategy, and a relentless belief in the power of hard work.
The Seed of Opportunity: From Employee to Entrepreneur
After receiving his agronomy degree, Neifert’s first steps into the professional world began modestly, as they so often do. He worked at an agronomy firm in Sunchales, followed by a 12-year tenure at Dupont, where he learned the intricacies of agricultural inputs and sales. These experiences, though fruitful, left him yearning for something more. The soil of his ambition was fertile, ready for seeds of independence.
In 2014, Campo Fértil was born—a business rooted in Neifert’s deep understanding of agriculture and his vision for what it could become. “It wasn’t enough to just grow crops or raise livestock,” Neifert says. “I wanted to professionalize every aspect of farming, from soil to sale.”
Campo Fértil, which started as a small agricultural input sales business in Villaguay, soon grew to serve as a leader in Entre Ríos, with a second branch in Valle María. Today, the company treats more than 120,000 hectares of soybeans with fungicides, sells over 550,000 liters of glyphosate annually, and boasts an annual revenue of $8 million.
The reasons for this meteoric rise are clear. “We built our reputation on trust and professional advice,” he explains. Neifert employs five agronomists who traverse the region’s farmlands, recommending products that balance productivity with sustainability. The focus on green-band chemicals and biological solutions is not just a trend but a belief in doing what’s right for the land and its future.
Scaling with Purpose: The Agricultural and Livestock Empire
Neifert’s journey from small-scale tambero to managing thousands of hectares mirrors the resilience of the land he tends. In Villaguay, the clay-rich vertisols present challenges that can wear down even the most seasoned farmer. “The yields here aren’t what you’d find in Pergamino,” Neifert acknowledges. “Soybeans yield about 23-28 quintales per hectare, while corn might give 60.”
Despite this, he has managed to scale his operation to include 7,000 hectares of agriculture and 4,000 hectares dedicated to livestock. His crops are diversified—3,000 hectares of soybeans, 3,000 of corn, with the rest split between wheat and pastures for grazing. His method is straightforward but impactful: he rents land on fixed quintal agreements, often paying 5-6 quintales per hectare in rent. Using his own machinery, Neifert’s team handles every stage of production, from planting to harvesting, with military precision.
This is no small feat. The Neifert operation runs 24/7, with three fully equipped teams working rotational shifts to meet deadlines. It’s a seamless coordination of tractors, trucks, and harvesters, where every hour counts—because in farming, time is as valuable as the soil beneath your feet.
The Rebirth of Land Through Livestock
For Neifert, farming is not just about extraction but regeneration. “The land we work on has suffered from years of soy monoculture,” he notes. To restore the fields’ vitality, he employs a mixed system, integrating pastures with crops like maize to allow the soil to breathe and rebuild its strength. Fences are repaired, corrals fixed, and once-abandoned fields are given new life.
His livestock operation is equally meticulous. Neifert manages 2,000 Angus breeding cows across Federal and Villaguay, where fields of lotus and festuca thrive under the careful balance of nature and nurture. “We’ve been using 100% artificial insemination for the past four years,” he proudly states. “Our preñez rates are around 92-93%, thanks to genetics that improve not just the breed, but the land itself.”
Every February and March, calves weighing 170-190 kilos are weaned and moved to a corral for their next stage of life. They graze on winter greens or mixed pastures, gaining about 850-900 grams per day. Eventually, they reach the feedlot in Lucas Norte, where they put on an impressive 1.3 to 1.4 kilos daily before reaching their market weight of 370-380 kilos. These cattle feed Villaguay and the Cañuelas Market, filling plates with high-quality beef grown from years of careful planning and innovation.
Looking Ahead: Growing with Integrity
At 49, Jorge Neifert is not one to rest on his laurels. His eyes are always scanning the horizon for the next opportunity. “When I’m comfortable, I’m restless,” he laughs. His current ambitions? To expand his cattle operations even further, improving genetic stock, and perhaps, returning to his roots—launching a dairy farm that blends the best of the past with the wisdom of today.
Neifert’s journey from 50 hectares to 11,000 is a testament to the power of persistence, innovation, and a deep respect for the land. He has learned, as all great farmers do, that success is not just measured in yields, but in the harmony of working with the earth. It is in this delicate balance—between ambition and patience, between growth and sustainability—that Jorge Neifert finds his place, one hectare at a time.
