Agriculture is by far the largest sector of the economy in South Dakota, putting $25.6 billion into our state each year.

• Agriculture employs over 115,651 people in South Dakota – more than 30 percent of all jobs.

Source: 2014 South Dakota Ag Economic Contribution Study

• Production agriculture’s direct effect on the South Dakota economy was $8.3 billion, representing the value of products produced.
• An additional impact of $3.4 billion results from businesses supplying inputs, and effects of increased household spending are $1.6 billion, bringing the total to $13.4 billion for production agriculture.
• Agriculture contributes more than $645 million to South Dakota’s tax revenues.

Source: 2011 South Dakota State University Combined Research and Extension Plan of Work

Corn’s Impact

In 2013, South Dakota farmers raised a record 812 million bushels. How does this stack up?

• Directly, the state’s corn industry produced $3.28 billion.
• Corn production in South Dakota accounted for 6.4 percent of statewide GDP, 6.9 percent of labor income and 5.5 percent of all jobs in the state in 2011.
• South Dakota’s corn producers pumped $2.43 billion into the state’s economy, providing $1.71 billion in total labor income to 31,761 jobholders.

Source: The Economic Impact of Corn Production in South Dakota Study by Dave Swenson