The financial performance and relationships between several management factors and financial performance are examined in a panel of 107 New York dairy farms. A panel regression model with fixed effects is estimated in an effort to identify management factors that influence profitability. The model is estimated with two-stage least squares to account for endogenous farm size and debt use variables. Production management factors such as farm size, rate of milk production, and milking system had a positive impact on farm profitability. Financial management variables for the type of accounting system used and the debt use were also significantly related to profitability. Unlike the findings of many other studies, measures of human capital did not have a statistically significant impact on profitability.

Cover crop management with a roller/crimper might reduce the need for herbicide. Weed suppression from a rolled cereal rye cover crop was compared to no cover crop with and without postemergence herbicide application in no-till soybean. The experiment was designed as a two-way factorial with rye termination and soybean planting date as the first factor and weed control treatment as the second. Cereal rye was drill-seeded in late September and managed using glyphosate followed by a roller/crimper in the spring. Soybean was no-till seeded after rolling and glyphosate was applied postemergence about 6 wk after planting to half the plots. Rye biomass doubled when delaying rye kill by 10 to 20 d. Weed density and biomass were reduced by the rye cover crop in all site–location combinations except one, but delaying rye kill and soybean planting date only reduced both weed density and biomass at a single location. The cover crop mulch provided weed control similar to the postemergence herbicide in two of four locations. Treatments did not affect soybean grain yield in 2007. In 2008, yield at Landisville with rye alone was equal to those yields receiving the postemergence herbicide, whereas at Rock Springs, it was equivalent or less. The net added cost of a rye cover crop was $123 ha−1with or $68.50 ha−1without a postemergence herbicide application. A rolled-rye cover crop sometimes provided acceptable weed control, but weed control alone did not justify the use of the cover crop. The potential for reduced herbicide use and other ecosystem services provided by a cover crop justify further refinement and research in this area.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine what factors and assortment of factors on wine back labels, representative of those found in the US market, appealed to consumers. Moreover, what changes to wine bottle characteristics and standard wine composition appealed and could affect their purchasing decision. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through an online survey of 910 wine consumers who resided in Metropolitan Philadelphia and New York City. Findings – Based on conjoint analysis, averaged importance for food-wine-pairing information on wine bottle back labels was greater than both how to contact and connect with the winery and winery background information. Within the pairing information factor, description of food-wine-pairings and symbols of food-wine-pairings received positive utility values, indicating consumers preferred these options more than having no pairing information present. Consumers who purchased wine at least once a week were more positively impacted by the alternatives presented, with influence decreasing as purchasing frequency declined. Wine purchasing frequency is related to the number of wine drinkers living in a household and wine consumption within a household is most often a shared consumption activity. More females drink wine but the consumption frequency of males is higher. Practical implications – Producers considering changing either the wine composition or a bottle characteristic should note that, based on frequency of wine purchasing, changes that may invoke a positive response are: decreased calorie content, wine made from “sustainably farmed” or “naturally farmed” grapes, and producing USDA Certified Organic wine. Originality/value – This study is the first to investigate what changes to extrinsic cues in the form of wine bottle and back label characteristics and to the wine composition (taste) intrinsic cue appeal to consumers in the US market and might influence their purchase decisions.

In the mid‐Atlantic region, the demand for organic dairy has provided incentives for farmers to transition their land to organic feed grain production. At the same time, interest in minimum‐tillage organic production is growing. Two field experiments were conducted to assess the effects of a first year cover crop and tillage system on weed populations, cash crop yield, and net returns over the 3‐yr transition period in a cover crop–soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.)–corn (Zea mays L.) feed grain rotation. The cover crop treatments were rye (Secale cereale L.)–hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) (hereafter RYE) and timothy (Phleum pratense L.)–red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) (hereafter TIM). Tillage system treatments were moldboard plow (full tillage, FT) and chisel plow (minimum tillage, MT). Across both experiments, soybean yields ranged from 1190 to 3721 kg ha−1 Corn grain yields were affected by tillage in the first experiment only, and were 59% higher in FT (9370 kg ha−1) compared to MT (5906 kg ha−1). Weed abundance was primarily affected by tillage, with densities in corn being 244% higher in MT compared to FT. Cumulative net returns in the first experiment were profit‐generating in systems where TIM was the initial cover crop (mean = U.S. $ 317 ha−1). Mean cumulative net returns were positive in three of the four treatment combinations in the second experiment (U.S. $ 74–299 ha−1). Improved strategies for minimizing the costs associated with fertilization and management of weeds in minimal tillage will be necessary to improve the profitability and sustainability of reduced‐tillage organic systems.