Exogenous, unobserved factors often confound the effects of alliance networks. More capable farmers might be less likely to exit and more likely to have a large number of alliances. In this case the negative correlation between alliance network size and exit likelihood is due to the unobserved...

The purpose of this paper is to report preliminary findings of a comprehensive study of multifunctional farming operations in New England. The study shows that small farmers are involved in multifunctional activities that allow them to use existing resources to supplement their farming...