No abstract

"To examine the buying habits of British Columbia (BC) wine consumers and their appreciation of French wine attributes, we estimate a hedonic price function for Burgundy wines which comprise an array of different appellations, vintages, and alcohol levels. BC ranks among the top three wine-consuming provinces in Canada and residents' wine preferences are likely linked to an emerging sophistication in tastes. This study uses weekly retail sales data and attributes of Burgundy wines reported by the BC Liquor Distribution Branch. The results confirm the collective reputation effects of the Burgundy wine region and show that the implicit values differ between white and red Burgundy wines with village designation and vintage having a relatively larger effect on white wine prices than in the case of red wines. Burgundy white wines, such as Aloxe-Corton, Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru, Meursault Premier Cru, and Chablis Grand Cru, were associated with larger price premia." Copyright (c) 2010 Canadian Agricultural Economics Society.

No abstract

A fixed‐effects model to control for time variation in marginal costs is employed to pinpoint evidence of price discriminatory behavior of Canadian and U.S. exporters of agri‐food products. We test for evidence of pricing to market behavior and whether price discrimination or commodity/country characteristics may provide a plausible explanation. A distinguishing feature of our approach is to examine the time‐series properties of the data by the conventional augmented Dickey‐Fuller and recently developed panel unit root test. The panel data set employed in this paper consists of annual exchange rates and export prices for three agri‐food products (wheat, pulse and apples) exported by Canada and the U.S. in foreign markets during 1980–98. Our fixed‐effects model suggests that U.S. exporters are sensitive to exchange rate changes, while Canadian exporters in most cases raised price markups in response to a depreciated currency in overseas markets. The results highlight the differences in pricing policy that both countries employ to merchandise agri‐food products in export markets.

The premium quality wine market in British Columbia has grown substantively over the past decade. However, few empirical studies exist to quantify how consumers have responded to these wines. This paper employs a source-differentiated almost ideal demand system (AIDS) model with time-varying parameters to estimate the demand for premium quality wines using scanner sales data from the British Columbia wine market. The empirical findings reveal that consumers' response to foreign-produced wines differs from that for wine produced locally. It is evident that the expenditure elasticities for British Columbia, European and Rest-of-the-World white wines are larger than those for red wines. The high expenditure elasticities associated with British Columbia white wines may suggest that these wines are associated with higher quality. We reject the hypotheses of block separability and product aggregation. There is no evidence of structural change from the tests employed in this paper. Le marché du vin de qualité supérieure a considérablement pris de l'expansion en Colombie-Britannique ces dix dernières années. Les auteurs utilisent un modèle à demande quasi idéale avec différenciation de la source et paramètres variant dans le temps pour estimer la demande de vin de qualité supérieure à partir des chiffres de vente sur le marché provincial. Les résultats empiriques indiquent que les consommateurs ne réagissent pas aux vins étrangers de la même façon qu'aux vins du cru. Les élasticités des dépenses sont manifestement plus nombreuses pour les vins blancs de laColombie-Britannique, d'Europe et d'autres régions que pour les vins rouges. Les fortes élasticités liées aux vins blancs du cru laissent croire que ces derniers sont d'une grande qualité. Les auteurs rejettent l'hypothèse d'une séparabilité par bloc et de l'agrégation des produits. Les tests employés dans le cadre de cette recherche ne révèlent aucun changement structural.

No abstract

A survey of Georgia homeowners provided insights about their use of fertilizers and pesticides. Knowledge of current homeowner practices is needed to develop a best management practices manual to be used by Master Gardeners to train the general public through the existing outreach programs. The objective of the training program is to reduce nutrient runoff and garden chemicals and improve the quality of surface water in urban watersheds. Results showed three of four homeowners did their own landscaping and, therefore, fully controlled the amount of applied chemicals and the area of application. Fertilizers were primarily applied to lawns, but a high percentage of homeowners also applied them to trees, shrubs, and flowers. Insecticides were applied by a larger percentage of homeowners than herbicides. Control of fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) was likely the reason behind the frequent use of insecticides. The desire for a weed free lawn was the plausible motivation behind the use of herbicides, which were used mostly on lawns. Fungicide use was infrequently reported by Georgia homeowners. The pattern of fertilizer and pesticide use suggests that the developed manual should emphasize techniques and cultural practices, which could lower the dependence on chemicals, while ultimately assuring the desired appearance of turf and ornamental plants.

No abstract