Information services in a beleaguered agricultural industry

Since the late 1970s mounting concern about farming practices and agricultural policy has coincided with a steady decrease in the funds available for publicly‐funded research. Major reorganisation taking place in agricultural research is forcing library and information departments to reassess the range of services they offer. The increasing pressure to seek commercial sponsorship in order to offset the effects of cuts, will have repercussions for information practitioners who will have to market their services more aggressively, extend their horizons, and increasingly come to regard information as a tradeable commodity. Information will become more commonly available to the end‐user without the necessity for an intermediary, both on the farm and in the laboratory.