South Dakota Agriculture

Agriculture is the number one industry in South Dakota. Farmers and ranchers grow soybeans, field corn, wheat, sunflowers, alfalfa, vegetables and other crops. They also raise beef cattle, dairy cattle, pigs, chickens, turkeys, sheep and more.

Vocabulary

Agriculture: the science of raising livestock and growing crops to produce food and other materials.

South Dakota Farming

What did you have for breakfast today? The odds are good it was grown by an American farmer. You could say farmers have growing down to an exact science — humans have been growing crops for over 12,000 years.

Vocabulary

Farmers Market: a place where local growers sell fresh fruits and vegetables from booths and stands. (Sioux Falls, Yankton, and Pierre are just some of the places in South Dakota that have them.)

Fun Fact:

Each sunflower can grow up to 2,000 seeds. That’s a lot of spitting!

Did You Know?

Did you know South Dakota is home to The World’s Only Corn Palace? You can find it in Mitchell. The first Corn Palace was built in 1892 as a place for people to gather for fall festivals. Now it hosts events, concerts, and high school and college basketball games for the Mitchell Kernels and Dakota Wesleyan Tigers. Each year, the outside is wrapped in murals made of 12 different colors of corn, as well as other grains and grasses.

Ranching in South Dakota

What state has the most number of cows per person? South Dakota. Each year, South Dakota ranchers and cattlemen raise about 3.7 million cows. These cows produce beef and milk.

In the 1800s, the grasslands of the Great Plains were perfect for “open-range” grazing. The ranchers would turn their cattle loose in the spring, letting them wander free for the summer and then round them up for the winter months. Nowadays, we call that “the cows getting out.” The invention of barbed wire in 1874 ended open-range grazing and brought about today’s fenced-in pastures.