The 1950s saw the beginning of a rural revolution in the north of Ireland, as farmers took stock after the war and began to use modern methods, moving away from centuries-old practice. Mechanization and farm specialization became more common and statutory marketing boards rationalized the buying and selling that used to happen at markets and fairs. The years since have seen accelerating change - professional training, entry into the EEC in 1973, the introduction of milk quotas in 1984, an inexorably declining rural population and the catastrophic crises of BSE and foot-and-mouth disease. In this informative account, Michael Drake, an experienced agricultural journalist, charts the highs and lows of an industry and a way of life that has seen extraordinary changes in the last five years.