Unlike most other mature industries, family firms, partnerships, and cooperatives dominate the agricultural production sector, with few corporations and limited access to capital derived from a source other than retained earnings and existing owners. However, the use of external equity capital...

The adoption and diffusion of contract farming and vertical integration in modern agriculture has varied widely across regions, commodities, or farm types. This paper lays out a framework for understanding the evolution of organizational practices in U.S. agriculture by drawing on theories of...