Farmers deskilled : hybrid corn and farmers' work / Deborah Fitzgerald.
Abstract:
'In this article, I would like to pursue the argument that hybrid corn was an agent by which farmers were effectively deskilled. As a biological artifact, hybrid corn presented farmers with a novel set of opportunities and problems that were not apparent in their previous experience with mechanical innovations. Despite the obvious differences between tractors and seeds, however, the similarities between the two sorts of innovations are striking. If the farmer is viewed as a laborer who possesses a set of manual and mental skills, then hybrids were perhaps more profoundly deskilling than any mechanical implement.'
Technology and culture Vol. 34 (1993), p. 324-343