South Dakota’s #1 commodity

In a release this week from South Dakota’s USDA-NASS office, a new commodity has taken the top spot when it comes to economic activity, corn. In 2010, corn grown in South Dakota was responsible for over $2.065 billion in cash receipt values surpassing the long-time leader, beef cattle whose receipts totaled $2.002 billion. The crop’s economic impact goes well beyond that mark as the state has an abundance of value-added opportunities including livestock and 15 corn ethanol plants.

“The rise in demand for food, feed and clean fuel from nation’s around the globe and at home has lead to an increase in both corn prices and production in South Dakota,” said South Dakota Corn Utilization Council President, Chad Blindauer, a farmer from Mitchell, SD. “South Dakota leads the nation in adapting to seed biotechnology and our use of precision agriculture and improved practices have all played a vital role in our producer’s ability to grow more corn on less land, with fewer inputs.”