The conversion of biomass to energy is critical for producing transportation fuels. How willing are producers to supply biomass products such as cereal straw, corn stover, and surplus hay? To answer this question, economists conducted a survey of producers in both mid-Missouri and southern Illinois (Biomass and Bioenergy, Vol. 36, 2012). Independent samples of 431 Missouri producers and 508 Illinois producers participated in the survey. Each producer was asked to give the maximum proportion of hay produced that he or she would be willing to sell to the biomass market. In addition, each producer was asked if he or she provides windrowing (mowing and plowing of hay) services. Summary statistics for the two groups of producers are listed in the next table. Compare and contrast the Missouri and Illinois producers with respect to willingness to supply hay and windrowing services to the biomass market.

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Sample Size Mean Amount of Hay (%) Standard Deviation of Hay Amount (%) Windrowing % Missouri Illinois Producers Producers 431 21.5 33.4 33.5 508 22.2 34.9 40.4