A farmer planted a field of BT 124 corn and wants to estimate the yield in terms of bushels per acre. He counts 22 ears in 1/1000 of an acre and determines that each ear has about 700 kernels on average. He also knows that a bushel contains about 90,000 kernels on average. What is the farmer’s estimate of yield in bushels/acre?

Question

A farmer planted a field of BT 124 corn and wants to estimate the yield in terms of bushels per acre.  He counts 22 ears in 1/1000 of an acre and determines that each ear has about 700 kernels on average.  He also knows that a bushel contains about 90,000 kernels on average.  What is the farmer’s estimate of yield in bushels/acre?

drwls · Answer

There would be 22,000 ears in 1 acre, with 15.4*10^6 kernels. Divide that by 90,000 kernels/bushel for the number of bushels.

Sally · Answer

( 22 ears ) ( 1000 / acre ) ( 700 kernels / ear ) ( 1 bushel / 90,000 kernels ) = 170 bushels / acre