Farm Census

Brown County, South Dakota

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

1,073 farms1,023,480 acres in farms$521 million in farm sales

Among US counties with published figures, Brown County ranks sixth for corn for grain and soybeans.

Within South Dakota, no other county with a published figure has more farms.

Grains and oilseeds: 81.6%Grains and oilseeds81.6%Cattle and calves: 9.9%Cattle and calves9.9%Withheld groups: 7.2%Withheld groups7.2%Hay and other crops: 1.2%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 81.6%Grains and oilseeds81.6%Cattle and calves: 9.9%Cattle and calves9.9%Withheld groups: 7.2%7.2%Hay and other crops: 1.2%Sheep and goats: under 0.1%Other animals: under 0.1%Horses and mules: under 0.1%Poultry and eggs: under 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, fruit and nuts, milk and hogs and pigs.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$425 million2nd of 64
Cattle and calves$51.6 million24th of 63
Hay and other crops$6.3 million10th of 49
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$253,00024th of 47
Other animals and animal products$161,00026th of 37
Horses, ponies, mules, burros and donkeys$60,00037th of 47
Poultry and eggs$56,00019th of 33

What the fields held

Brown County harvested 638,717 acres of cropland in 2022, second of 66 counties in South Dakota. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 48% of that, corn for grain 43%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans308,4410.36%
Corn for grain273,3400.34%
Hay and haylage37,4150.07%
Wheat12,350under 0.1%
Corn for silage3,8460.06%
Oats1,3140.14%
Grain sorghum110under 0.1%
Vegetables15under 0.1%
of which potatoes1under 0.1%
Orchard land5under 0.1%
of which apples4under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: barley and sunflower.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms93.4%

Brown County ranks 22nd of 66 counties in South Dakota on this measure.

  • 841,107 acres of cropland, 82% of farmland
  • 135,278 acres of pastureland, 13% of farmland
  • 5,045 acres of woodland, 0% of farmland
  • 2,683 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in Brown County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 257 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 954 acres, 39th-largest of 65 in South Dakota. The most common size class is 50–179 acres, with 23.0% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 25.2% of the total.

1–95%10–4917%50–17923%180–49918%500–99912%1,000–1,99912%2,000+13%
Brown County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Sheep and lambs3,2630.06%
Cattle and calves41,937under 0.1%
Horses and ponies582under 0.1%
Goats142under 0.1%
Laying hens1,315under 0.1%
Turkeys20under 0.1%

Withheld: beef cows, milk cows, hogs and pigs and broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on Brown County's 1,073 farms are made by 1,869 producers. Their average age is 58.4, 1.2 years above the South Dakota average. Women are 33.8% of them.

Under 359%35–4413%45–5416%55–6423%65–7425%75+14%
Brown County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms1,034+3.8%
Land in farms, acres1,083,014−5.5%
Average farm size, acres1,047−8.9%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$377 million+37.9%
Soybeans, acres381,167−19.1%
Corn for grain, acres319,973−14.6%
Oats, acres2,035−35.4%
Hay and haylage, acres43,171−13.3%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

Brown County accounts for 4.0% of farm sales in South Dakota and 3.8% of the farms in South Dakota. Rank South Dakota counties for soybeans.

Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture. How to read these pages.