Seventy-eight percent of commercial farmers were either members or nonmember patrons of marketing/farm supply cooperatives in 1986 compared with more than 76 percent in 1980. From 1980 to 1986, the percentage of commercial farmers who were members of cooperatives increased from 65 to 66 percent....

A survey of commercial farmers throughout the United States showed 57 percent were members of marketing/farm supply cooperatives in 1980. An additional 14 percent used those cooperatives as nonmember patrons. Thirty-seven percent of commercial farmers were member-users of marketing cooperatives...