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Abstract
Advances in information technology can help local cooperatives remain competitive in
a changing agricultural sector. This study examines the adoption and use of information
systems by local farm supply and grain cooperatives and the relationships between
information system characteristics and cooperative performance. Cooperative characteristics
were found to have a significant effect on information selection, overall cost
structure, and the allocation of information system expenses. Information system selection
was also related to operating performance. In all size categories, farm supply
cooperatives that owned computers had better operating performance than those that
did not. In contrast, operating performance was not related to computer ownership in
grain cooperatives.