Overview
Task: Prepare a technical report no longer than one page in length (figures and/or tables can be on a second page) presenting the results of a statistical analysis that addresses the scenario below. It should have three sections with headings: Objective Statement, Methods, and Results and Conclusions. Upload a pdf or Word (pdf recommended) of your report and an Excel file (upload as .xlsx or .xls) OR picture of handwritten work for your calculations.
Scenario: An extension office in the Wiregrass region of Alabama has worked with corn farmers since 1970 to help them implement new technologies developed at Auburn. Corn yields in the region are improving, and the agents working at the office believe that their efforts are one of the reasons. However, the state agency that provides their funding claims that the increased corn yields are due to favorable weather conditions in recent years. Unless the extension agents can demonstrate that corn yields are increasing in time and the increase can't be completely explained by weather conditions, they may lose funding.
Data: The extension agents obtain data ( attatched)Download dataon corn yield in bushels per acre for the region from 1970-2019 from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. They also obtain temperature and precipitation data for a city in the center of the region from the National Weather Service and calculate the precipitation and temperature variables (July and August temperature and precipitation) that are most closely related to crop yield. Note that in the South, lower temperatures and higher precipitation are associated with higher crop yields.
Suggestions for Success
1. Review the previous statistical writing assignments as you are completing each section of your report (Assignment 1 covers results and conclusions, Assignment 2 covers methods, and Assignment 3 covers objective statement). Make sure you are including the necessary components and an appropriate level of detail in each section of your report.
2. Use multivariable analysis methods to support your conclusion. Review the lecture notes on selecting analysis methods and flow chart to ensure you are choosing the correct tests for the data provided and the hypothesis you are testing. State your hypotheses in the methods section.
3. Include figures and/or tables if they directly support your conclusion. If a figure or table is not discussed in your report, it may be unnecessary detail that should be deleted.
4. Base your conclusions just on your analysis of the data provided. You are not expected to do outside research or consider external factors in making your conclusion.