Two-Step Econometric Estimation of Farm Characteristics Affecting Marketing Contract Decisions

We examine how farm characteristics affect marketing contract decisions. We relax the restrictive assumptions of Tobit, Poisson, and multinomial logit models and consider the quantity, frequency, and contract type decisions conditional on, rather than jointly with, the contract adoption decision. In contrast to earlier studies on marketing contract decisions, we estimate a two-step econometric model using Agricultural Resource Management Study data and find that farm characteristics affecting decisions to adopt marketing contracts differ from those affecting decisions regarding quantity, frequency, and contract type. Copyright 2003 American Agricultural Economics Association.