ABSTRACT
The dairy industry is entering an era of exceedingly rapid technological change. As such, it will be the first of the agricultural industries to feel the effects of the coming biotechnological and information revolutions. There is a myth in the dairy industry that the Upper Midwest is the most efficient milk production region in the United States. Information technology likewise has the potential for creating more diversity in the dairy industry. The 1986 Office of Technology Assessment report "Technology, Public Policy and the Changing Structure of American Agriculture," provides considerable insight into the issue of where dairy industry adjustments due to technological change might occur under a continuation of current policies. Available research suggests that obtaining the full output enhancing impact of bovine somatatropin (BST) requires a considerably higher level of management talent. The use of BST will be considerably more widespread, but could also lead to increased industry diversity.
