Wholesome Wheat Corporation
Wholesome Wheat Corporation grows grain in rural areas of the South. The
corporation’s costs per bushel of grain (based on an average yield of 130 bushels per
acre) follow:
Wholesome Wheat Corporation defines direct material costs as seed, fertilizer, water,
and other chemicals. The variable overhead costs represent maintenance and repair
costs of machinery. The fixed overhead costs are completely comprised of depreciation
expense on machinery and real estate taxes.
Refer to Wholesome Wheat Corporation. Assume that the current date is March 15. On
this date, Wholesome Wheat Corporation must make a decision as to whether it is
financially better off to plant a certain farm to grain, leave the land idle (no income is
derived from idle land), or rent the land to another farmer for $50 per acre. Grain prices
have been severely depressed in recent years and Wholesome Wheat Corporation’s best
guess is that grain prices will be around $2.00 per bushel at the time the crop is ready
for harvest. What should the company do? Show calculations.
How has the increase in product variety affected the costs of American business?