Using detailed census data covering over 30,000 farms in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Canada, we document the vast and increasing farm size heterogeneity, and analyse the role of farm size in adapting to the removal of an export subsidy in 1995. Consistent with the Alchian‐Allen hypothesis, the increase in per‐unit trade costs due to the reform was associated with farms of all sizes shifting their production of crops from low value wheat to higher value canola. We find that switching to new labour‐saving tillage technologies and away from summerfallow in response to the large negative shock to grain prices caused by the reform varied across the farm size distribution. We develop a theory of heterogenous farms and technology adoption that can explain our findings.

中文翻译：

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农场规模，技术采用和农产品贸易改革：来自加拿大的证据

使用涵盖加拿大艾伯塔省，萨斯喀彻温省和曼尼托巴省30,000多个农场的详细人口普查数据，我们记录了农场规模庞大且不断增加的异质性，并分析了农场规模在适应1995年取消出口补贴中的作用。与阿尔奇安一致在艾伦的假设下，由于改革而导致的单位贸易成本的增加与各种规模的农场都将农作物的生产从低值小麦转移到了高价值双低油菜籽有关。我们发现，由于改革引起的对谷物价格的巨大负面冲击，在整个农场规模分布上，转向使用节省劳力的耕作新技术，而不再使用夏季休耕法。我们开发了一种异构农场和技术采用的理论，可以解释我们的发现。