South Dakota's Cropland Resource

South Dakota Agricultural Crops

South Dakotans rely on the land to survive. Agriculture is a $17 billion business in this state. About 16.5 million acres or 37% of the land resource is classified as cropland.

Corn

Corn is the food of the Americas. Ancient Central American Indian civilizations were the first to cultivate corn. In the United States it is the major foodstuff and the major agricultural export.

In a normal year, more than two-and-one-half million acres in South Dakota are planted to corn, yielding a grain harvest of more than 200 million bushels. Corn is vital to our diet. You will find refined corn products used in nearly 4,000 food items today. Corn syrups provide the major source of sweeteners in food. In addition, corn has hundreds of industrial uses, from plastics to alcohol additives in motor fuel. In South Dakota corn is grown primarily east of the Missouri River, with the most corn being grown in southeast South Dakota. Corn is also our most frequently irrigated crop.

Soybeans

When farmers talk about "beans" they mean soybeans. South Dakota-grown soybeans are processed for protein meal and oil. A 60-pound bushel of soybeans will yield 48 pounds of meal and 11 pounds of oil, with uses as diverse as animal feed, bakery products, shortening and printing ink.

Soybeans are often planted in rotation with corn. Farmers plant soybeans in the late spring and begin harvesting in the early fall. In recent years soybeans have gained popularity with South Dakota farmers. Nearly two million acres are now planted to beans annually, producing close to 40 million bushels. Beans are grown primarily in eastern and southeastern counties.

Wheat

South Dakota produces three types of wheat: hard red winter, hard red spring, and durum. Hard red winter wheat is planted in the fall and is harvested in mid-summer. Hard red spring and durum wheats are planted in the spring and harvested in late summer to early fall.

The hard wheats grown in South Dakota make some of the world's best bread-baking flour because they are high in protein. South Dakota is one of six states to grow durum wheat, which is the type used to make pasta. In an average year, more than three-and-a-half million acres will be planted to wheat of one type or another in South Dakota.

Sunflowers

South Dakota, North Dakota, and Minnesota produce 95 percent of the nation's sunflowers. Two types of sunflowers are cultivated in South Dakota. The oilseed varieties are grown as a source of oil and meal. Confectionery, or non-oil, varieties are grown for human consumption and birdseed.

Other Crops

South Dakota ranks among the top ten producing states in a variety of small grains. Our state frequently harvests more than 50 million bushels of oats in a year. This grain used to be grown primarily for livestock feed, but has enjoyed a renewed popularity in recent years as part of a healthy diet. Barley is another small grain produced in quantity; recent years have seen 30 million bushel harvests. Our state usually harvests close to five million bushels of rye, and has had yields of more than 10 million bushels, easily enough to make us the nation's leading producer of rye. Over the past decade, South Dakota has also been a major producer of flaxseed, with some harvests topping one million bushels.

South Dakota harvests up to 15 million bushels of grain sorghum and another six million tons of sorghum for silage per year, to feed livestock. South Dakota produces significant amounts of hay. Alfalfa is the most popular, with annual cuttings amounting to more than 75 million tons.