Marie Michael Library

Co-operatives and Farmers in the New Agriculture

Fulton, Murray; Sanderson, Kim

Agriculture is changing, so much that for many farmers it is no longer recognizable. Computers, for instance, are increasingly used, not just for keeping farm records or for accessing marketing opportunities, but as part of the new monitoring equipment that is more and more essential to the machinery used by farmers. In addition to changing the manner in which farming is carried out, the transformation underway in agriculture has changed farmers' relationships with the rest of the agriculture and food industry. The purpose of this paper is to explore the implications of these changes in the agri-food system for farmers and agricultural co-operatives.