Lawless Planet – “Field of Schemes: Organic Farming’s Epic Fraud”

Podcast: Lawless Planet
Host: Zach Goldbaum
Date: March 2, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode, “Field of Schemes,” tells the story of one of the largest organic food frauds in U.S. history, orchestrated by Missouri farmer Randy Constant. Host Zach Goldbaum unravels how Constant exploited the organic food system’s honor-based trust, flooding the market with conventional grain falsely labeled as organic. Through interviews with Glenn Borgerding, Constant’s former business partner, and federal prosecutors, the episode examines the systemic weaknesses that enabled the scheme, its ripple effects, and the personal and communal toll of the scandal.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Context: Organic Agriculture’s Booming Market

• Scene-Setting: The story begins at the Midwest Organic Agriculture Conference in La Crosse, WI, February 2016. Farmers, vendors, and industry insiders gather to make deals and share news. Among them is Glenn Borgerding, a consultant helping farmers transition to organic (00:01–02:18).
• Organic Premiums: The burgeoning organic market offered financial incentives for farmers willing to undergo the arduous certification process.
• Trust-Based System: “It’s built largely on the honor system, on trust. But a system like that is easily exploitable, and the impact when it collapses can ripple further than you can imagine.” — Zach Goldbaum (07:48)

2. Meeting Randy Constant: Partnership and Suspicion

• Origins: Glenn and Randy partner up in 2001, launching Organic Land Management, aiming to help conventional farmers go organic (13:02–14:45).
• Early Days: Glenn handles the paperwork, Randy wants to be hands-on. Initially, it’s a successful partnership riding the wave of a tripling in organic sales (15:13).
• Red Flags: 2006–07, Glenn notices secrecy, evasions, and accounting irregularities from Randy (16:41–18:37).
  • “He was just getting harder and harder to nail down.” – Glenn Borgerding (17:08)

3. The Scheme Unfolds: Fraud, Expansion, and Lifestyle Drift

• Suspicion Deepens: Glenn receives a call from a broker about unusually large grain shipments. Realizes the production numbers don’t add up (19:27–20:47).
  • “I don't know, 1,500 acres. And that’s when there was a really long pause…” – Glenn Borgerding (20:27)
• Industry Inaction: Glenn reports concerns to certifiers but is required to formally put accusations in writing, which he hesitates to do (21:08–21:41).
• Separation: Glenn and Randy part ways feeling the business is going flat, unaware of the scope of Randy’s deception.
• Randy’s Double Life: After the split, Randy’s business booms. He buys a failing tilapia farm as a front, pays family and escorts with fraudulent proceeds, and lives large—Las Vegas trips, luxury cars, and more (22:26–24:39).
  • “I didn’t think he had it in him to do that.” – Glenn Borgerding (23:43)

4. The Investigation: Cracking Open the Fraud

• Federal Scrutiny: In 2014, assistant U.S. attorney Jacob Schunk investigates after industry complaints about Randy’s suspiciously high and cheap organic grain sales (24:45–25:36).
• Discovery: Auditing reveals a multi-state, $100+ million fraud—non-organic grain sold as organic across the nation (27:10–28:58).
  • “We realized we had something particularly significant on our hands.” – Jacob Schunk (27:10)
• The Scale: Randy sold 11.5 million bushels over seven years; more than 90% falsely certified organic. Between 2010–17, up to 8% of U.S. organic grain for animal feed came from his scheme (31:32).
  • “There’s roughly a 1 in 10 chance during those years that...animal product marketed as organic, it would not have been exclusively fed through organic grain.” – Jacob Schunk (31:52)

5. Fallout: Legal Consequences, Stigma, and Tragedy

• The Unraveling: Randy is indicted, pleads guilty, and at sentencing, is depicted as both a trusted community member and a deliberate fraudster (32:06–34:18).
• Victim Impact: The crime harmed not just customers, but honest organic producers priced out of the market and betrayed consumer trust (35:58).
  • “They ended up paying money not only for something they didn’t get, but to contribute to the industry they specifically did not want to contribute to.” – Jacob Schunk (35:58)
• Sentencing: Randy receives over 10 years in prison, forfeiture of $128 million, and restitution orders (36:18–37:53).
• Suicide: Days after sentencing, Randy dies by suicide, leaving his family and former partner reeling with sadness and unanswered questions (38:08–39:21).
  • “He drove his car into the garage, shut the garage door, and left the engine running. And I just… I just had a meltdown…” – Glenn Borgerding (38:23)
• Broader Impact: Multiple co-conspirator farmers also plead guilty. Industry implements new, stricter anti-fraud guidelines in 2024 (40:13–41:23).

6. Rebuilding Trust: Reflections and Reform

• Cautious Optimism: Glenn, despite the pain, remains dedicated to organic ideals. He supports new fraud prevention but notes it creates burden for honest farmers (41:23–41:39).
  • “It’s a statement of what are you doing to prevent fraud happening on your farm? ...what steps are you taking to make sure that it’s fertilizer that’s used for organic production?” – Glenn Borgerding (41:39)
• Restoring Faith: Zach and Glenn discuss the need for personal vigilance, transparency, and community commitment to maintain integrity and trust.
  • “You shouldn’t disregard the organic label, but you should be cautious of it. Know the company...know who’s behind that label.” – Glenn Borgerding (42:24)

Memorable Quotes

• “It’s built largely on the honor system, on trust. But a system like that is easily exploitable, and the impact when it collapses can ripple further than you can imagine.”
  — Zach Goldbaum (07:48)

• “That’s when I had kind of an ‘oh shit’ moment. What the heck is going on?”
  — Glenn Borgerding (20:42)

• “We realized we had something particularly significant on our hands.”
  — Jacob Schunk (27:10)

• “Randy sold 11.5 million bushels of grain over seven years, and more than 90% of it was falsely marketed as organic.”
  — Zach Goldbaum (31:32)

• “The judge says Randy was selfish and that he’s like the organic grain he sold, meaning that he himself is a fraud.”
  — Zach Goldbaum (36:18)

• “You shouldn’t disregard the organic label, but you should be cautious of it. Know the company that’s selling it. Know who’s behind that label.”
  — Glenn Borgerding (42:24)

Key Timestamps

• 00:01–02:36 — Discovery of the investigation and suspicions about Randy Constant
• 07:48 — Zach on the flaws of the honor system in organics
• 13:02–14:45 — Formation of Organic Land Management with Randy and Glenn
• 17:08–18:37 — Growing suspicions and partnership breakup
• 19:27–20:47 — The grain broker call and revelation of improbable production
• 24:45–28:58 — Prosecutors investigate; learning the scale of the fraud
• 31:32 — Scope: 1/10 chance non-organic feed in “organic” meat
• 36:18 — Judge’s final condemnation and sentencing
• 38:08–39:21 — Randy’s suicide and aftermath
• 41:23–41:55 — New anti-fraud rules and Glenn’s assessment
• 42:24 — Glenn’s advice on organic label skepticism

Summary

“Field of Schemes” is a sweeping exposé on the fragility of trust in the organic certification system and the dangers of leaving critical food supply chains to self-policed honor. Through the tragic arc of Randy Constant—a once-respected farmer who orchestrated a $142 million fraud—the episode charts the human and systemic failings that allowed widespread cheating, its impact on real organic farmers and consumers, and the efforts to repair the industry and regain trust. In the end, listeners are reminded that real integrity—like real farming—requires vigilance, transparency, and collective responsibility.