The Future Role of Cooperatives in the Red Meats Industry

Excerpts from the report Preface: This study grew out of a concern for the future survival of independent, family-size livestock producers. This concern is rooted in the structural changes that the red meats industry has undergone in recent years that appear to seriously threaten these producers' position in the industry of the future. Individual livestock producers cannot do much on their own to counter these developments. However, effective use of cooperatives could give producers the collective resources to respond favorably to the changing structure. The relatively minor role cooperatives now play in the industry would have to be expanded and, perhaps, changed if producers are to use them to achieve a significant degree of influence over the red meats industry