ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an inquiry into the question of who benefits and who loses from technological change in American agriculture. It reviews the existing literature and describes that given the weakened competitive forces that existed in the processing tomato industy, it was impossible to estimate with any degree of certainty exactly how the gains generated by the new technology would be distributed. The chapter argues that the costs and benefits generated in the process varied greatly from one innovation to another. While requiring social impact statements prior to development of new technologies seems unreasonable, it does seem sound public policy to mandate assessment of labor displacing farm technology at some stage before it's introduction in the market place. The chapter focuses primarily on the question of who benefits and who loses from mechanization in agriculture.
