How Many Family Farms Are There In South Dakota?
I haven't lived on the farm for years. I mean years! But what they say is true...you can take the kid off the farm, but you can't take the farm out of the kid.
Now, let me be honest here: If I found myself on a farm now, well, I'm pretty sure I'd be lost. I'm guessing there aren't many of my dad's B John Deere's working the fields anymore. I'm thinkin' that there may not be a lot of kids getting pulled on a grain shovel behind a B Farmall in the winter these days. And I probably wouldn't be listening to the Twins game on the tractor radio while cultivating (cultivating? What's cultivating?).
Then add to that, I'd heard all bout 'Corporate Farming', how the family farms were dying out, just about ready to go to the dustbin of memory along with the threshing machine.
But hold on Cowboy!
I've discovered over the last few years that one of my favorite websites is thisisfaming.org. And truth be known, I like the kid's section the best (maybe it's the Lil farm kid still in me).
But I stumbled onto this on their website, which made my heart grin:
Fortunately, in South Dakota, 98 percent of farms are family owned and operated. And more than 2,500 South Dakota farms have been in the same family for more than 100 years.
The average size of a farm in South Dakota is 1,374 acres. In the past, most row crops were grown east of the Missouri River. But today, advances in plant breeding have resulted in corn hybrids that can flourish in dry conditions, so more and more West River farmers are growing row crops as well.
Other crops grown in South Dakota include wheat, alfalfa, sunflowers, hay, sorghum, oats and barley.
Isn't that great? Oh sure, I gotta say the 1,374 acres are bigger than we lived on in our neck-of-the-farms, but 98% families? Hooray!
Now let me say, I have nothing against 'Corporations', but I'd also add I love that term 'Family Farm' a whole bunch!
If you like 'visiting the farm' like I do, be sure and check out This Is Farming. You'll love it.