Farmer trust in producer- and investor-owned firms: Evidence from Missouri corn and soybean producers

Abstract

The authors examine whether cooperatives are characterized by greater trust than investor-owned firms. They surveyed 2,000 Missouri corn and soybean farmers and found that trust and farmer perceptions of honesty and competence are higher in cooperatives than in investor-owned firms and that trust is a significant factor explaining the choice of farmers to market to cooperatives rather than investor-owned firms. Interestingly, they found that trust is more significant in producers' decisions for marketing soybeans than for corn. [JEL classifications: Q130, Z130]. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 22: 135–153, 2006.