Scores of junior producers tend to invest in new mining during times of hot metals prices only to find their ore coming to market during a recession.  The smart thing to do is to position for future production when ore prices are low, given the long lead times to production from discovery.  In this regard, it is major producers who better understand these cycles, while juniors are more likely to take risks at the wrong time.  

This is a round-about way of saying that should LBSR be talking with anyone now; I would presume it to be a major producer.  The consequence being that further divisions of interest are less likely as exploration advances - more left for us.  Otherwise, and if warranted, small partners will eventually have to bring in larger ones.  Simplified, if we can keep an initial +/- 50 percent of Earp Ridge (or whatever property) with one partner, that's better for us than having divided the prospect among multiple partners before production can begin.