THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation
First paragraphs: When I was growing up in the late '40s and early '50s, the local "farmers' exchange" was where we sold our chickens and eggs and bought feed for our chickens, pigs, and dairy cows. The exchange was operated by a cooperative, the Missouri Farmers Association...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
2016-08-01
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| Series: | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/154 |
| _version_ | 1797762499428220928 |
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| author | John Ikerd |
| author_facet | John Ikerd |
| author_sort | John Ikerd |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | First paragraphs:
When I was growing up in the late '40s and early '50s, the local "farmers' exchange" was where we sold our chickens and eggs and bought feed for our chickens, pigs, and dairy cows. The exchange was operated by a cooperative, the Missouri Farmers Association or MFA. Its jingle on the local radio station proudly proclaimed, "MFA, MFA, it's the profit-sharing way. All agree, plain to see, it's the farmer's friend." I didn't have any reason to doubt its claims.
However, the MFA has long since betrayed its farmer-members' trust by supporting the industrialization of agriculture. During the mid-1990s, the president of the MFA regularly proclaimed that Missouri only needed a few dozen large farming operations, and smaller farmers should look elsewhere for their future. As a young agricultural economist, I had made similar statements. I didn't know any better at the time. The leader of a farmers' cooperative, however, should not have been so naïve — or perhaps uncaring. Economic efficiency is good only insofar as it improves the well-being of people. The large agricultural cooperatives in the U.S. have become virtually indistinguishable from the rest of corporate agriculture... |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:29:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09b837e9db974b9093fbef6da91741fa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2152-0801 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T19:29:14Z |
| publishDate | 2016-08-01 |
| publisher | Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development |
| spelling | doaj.art-09b837e9db974b9093fbef6da91741fa2023-08-02T04:40:19ZengLyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food SystemsJournal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development2152-08012016-08-013210.5304/jafscd.2013.032.001154THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on CooperationJohn Ikerd0University of Missouri, ColumbiaFirst paragraphs: When I was growing up in the late '40s and early '50s, the local "farmers' exchange" was where we sold our chickens and eggs and bought feed for our chickens, pigs, and dairy cows. The exchange was operated by a cooperative, the Missouri Farmers Association or MFA. Its jingle on the local radio station proudly proclaimed, "MFA, MFA, it's the profit-sharing way. All agree, plain to see, it's the farmer's friend." I didn't have any reason to doubt its claims. However, the MFA has long since betrayed its farmer-members' trust by supporting the industrialization of agriculture. During the mid-1990s, the president of the MFA regularly proclaimed that Missouri only needed a few dozen large farming operations, and smaller farmers should look elsewhere for their future. As a young agricultural economist, I had made similar statements. I didn't know any better at the time. The leader of a farmers' cooperative, however, should not have been so naïve — or perhaps uncaring. Economic efficiency is good only insofar as it improves the well-being of people. The large agricultural cooperatives in the U.S. have become virtually indistinguishable from the rest of corporate agriculture...https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/154Food SystemsCooperatives |
| spellingShingle | John Ikerd THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development Food Systems Cooperatives |
| title | THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation |
| title_full | THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation |
| title_fullStr | THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation |
| title_full_unstemmed | THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation |
| title_short | THE ECONOMIC PAMPHLETEER: Reflections on Cooperation |
| title_sort | economic pamphleteer reflections on cooperation |
| topic | Food Systems Cooperatives |
| url | https://www.foodsystemsjournal.org/index.php/fsj/article/view/154 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johnikerd theeconomicpamphleteerreflectionsoncooperation AT johnikerd economicpamphleteerreflectionsoncooperation |