The Dakota Farm Cooperative owns and leases prime farmland in the upper Midwest. Most of its 34,000 acres are planted in grain. The cooperative performs a substantial amount of testing to determine what seed types produce the greatest yields. Recently, the cooperative tested three types of corn seed on test plots. The following values were observed after the first test year:

Seed Type A Seed Type B Seed Type C Mean Bushels/Acre 88 56 100 Standard Deviation 25 15 16

a. Based on the results of this testing, which seed seems to produce the greatest average yield per acre? Comment on the type of testing controls that should have been used to make this study valid.

b. Suppose the company is interested in consistency.
Which seed type shows the least relative variability?

c. Assuming the Empirical Rule applies, describe the production distribution for each of the three seed types.

d. Suppose you were a farmer and had to obtain at least 135 bushels per acre to escape bankruptcy.
Which seed type would you plant? Explain your choice.

e. Rework your answer to part d assuming the farmer needed 115 bushels per acre instead.