SOCIOECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, RESPONSES TO INNOVATIONS, AND USE OF INFORMATION SOURCES WERE CORRELATED FOR 100 RANDOMLY CHOSEN DAIRY FARMERS IN THE LOWER FRASER VALLEY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA. TEN DAIRYING INNOVATIONS WERE DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS ACCORDING TO COMPLEXITY. ADOPTION SCORES WERE USED TO CLASSIFY THE FARMERS AND STAGES OF ADOPTION (AWARENESS, INTEREST, EVALUATION, TRIAL, ADOPTION). CHARACTERISTICS POSITIVELY RELATED TO ADOPTION WERE ACTIVE INFORMATION SEEKING, SOCIAL PARTICIPATION, HIGHER INCOME, AND LARGE HERDS OF YOUNG STOCK. CHARACTERISTICS NEGATIVELY RELATED INCLUDED LONG DAIRYING EXPERIENCE, LARGE FAMILIES, AND LONG TENURE ON THE PRESENT FARM. AWARENESS CAME LARGELY BY MASS MEDIA, BUT PERSONAL CONTACTS WERE DOMINANT AT LATER STAGES OF ADOPTION. ON THE LESS COMPLEX INNOVATIONS, UNAWARENESS AND DISCONTINUATION WERE HIGHER, WHILE REJECTION, ADOPTION, AND CONTINUATION WERE LOWER. ABOUT HALF THE REJECTIONS OCCURRED DURING AWARENESS. DISTRICT AGRICULTURISTS AND FARM ORGANIZATIONS PLAYED A MINOR ROLE IN DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION. PROVISIONS FOR KEEPING CANADIAN FARMERS ABREAST OF DESIRABLE INNOVATIONS WERE JUDGED INADEQUATE. (THE DOCUMENT INCLUDES 43 TABLES AND 37 PREFERENCES.) THIS PUBLICATION IS ALSO AVAILABLE, FOR $2.00, FROM THE AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA, COLONEL BY DRIVE, OTTAWA 1, CANADA. (LY)