The total value of South Dakota’s latest harvest is down from recent years.
A new report from the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service shows South Dakota’s 2024 field crop is forecast at $7.1 billion.
That’s down 11 percent from 2023, which saw a total valuation of $7.9 billion. The state saw crop values peak in 2021 and 2022, when total value exceeded $8 billion each year.
The USDA says the drop was driven by soybeans, which fell 16 percent year-over-year to $2.2 billion. The average price for a bushel of soybeans sold last year was $9.75 – down more than two dollars from 2023.
The value of South Dakota's corn production remained mostly flat, totaling $3.6 billion.