Bovine Somatotropin: Biotechnology Product and Social Issue in the United States Dairy Industry

¹ Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849-5406
² Department of Rural Sociology, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706

Cows produce more milk when injected with bST. Advances in biotechnology have lowered manufacturing costs for the substance to the point where firms are endeavoring to develop usable products, obtain regulatory approval, and market the technology to dairy farms. This paper examines bST as a case study in the advent of a biotechnology-based innovation, one of the first to enter the market. Bovine somatotropin has been controversial because of its perceived lack of safety, impact on farm structure, potential to shift the regional location of dairy production, and implications for government spending on milk price supports. The evolution of this technology is reviewed in the context of the various claims, reactions, and projections of researchers, economic analysts, farm groups, and populist critics. An assessment is made of how the rapid diffusion and widespread use of bST will affect farmers, rural communities, and the dairy industry.

Key Words: bovine somatotropin • social impacts • innovation

Submitted on October 2, 1989
Accepted on April 2, 1990