The Contrasting Effects of Social,Organizational,and Economic Variables on Farm Production

Abstract

This article draws on the intellectual traditions of industrial sociology to argue that social organizational variables as well as economic inputs affect production. Using a sample of 683 North Carolina farms, varying in size from 50 acres or fewer to more than 4,500 acres, the study found that the social organization of production and the occupational community of farming significantly affect production, net of the influences of agricultural resources, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the farm operators. Participation in the occupational community and having a production organization that is family based, with relatively high variation across status groups in task performance, have substantial payoff in farm sales. Resources prove to be more important for the productiveness of small farms, whereas social organizational influences are more significant for medium to large farms, suggesting that farms must achieve a minimum scale of operations for social organizational variables to be most effective.