Farm Census

McPherson County, South Dakota

Farms, crops and livestock in the 2022 Census of Agriculture

330 farms652,253 acres in farms$212 million in farm sales

No other county in South Dakota with a published figure has more turkeys than McPherson County.

Its largest product group with a published figure, grains and oilseeds, makes up 56.5% of farm sales, against 57.1% across South Dakota.

Grains and oilseeds: 56.5%Grains and oilseeds56.5%Cattle and calves: 23.5%Cattle and calves23.5%Poultry and eggs: 8.9%Poultry and eggs8.9%Hogs and pigs: 7.3%Hogs and pigs7.3%Hay and other crops: 3.1%3.1%Withheld groups: 0.5%Sheep and goats: 0.1%Grains and oilseeds: 56.5%Grains and oilseeds56.5%Cattle and calves: 23.5%Cattle and calves23.5%Poultry and eggs: 8.9%Poultry and eggs8.9%Hogs and pigs: 7.3%7.3%Hay and other crops: 3.1%3.1%Withheld groups: 0.5%Sheep and goats: 0.1%
Farm sales by product group, 2022, sized by value. Withheld to protect individual farms: vegetables and melons, fruit and nuts, horses and mules and other animal products.
Sales by product group
Product groupSalesRank in state
Grains, oilseeds, dry beans and dry peas$120 million25th of 64
Cattle and calves$49.8 million27th of 63
Poultry and eggs$18.9 million1st of 33
Hogs and pigs$15.5 million17th of 34
Hay and other crops$6.5 million8th of 49
Sheep, goats, wool, mohair and goat milk$235,00025th of 47

What the fields held

McPherson County harvested 276,512 acres of cropland in 2022, 18th of 66 counties in South Dakota. Soybeans covered acreage equal to 30% of that, corn for grain 27%.

CropAcresShare of US
Soybeans83,1020.10%
Corn for grain75,5880.09%
Hay and haylage73,2520.14%
Wheat26,0050.07%
Corn for silage8,3920.14%
Oats4,7340.52%
Sunflower1,9270.12%
Barley585under 0.1%
Vegetables15under 0.1%

Withheld to protect individual farms: grain sorghum and berries.

How much of the county is farmland

Share of the county land in farms89.7%

McPherson County ranks 30th of 66 counties in South Dakota on this measure.

  • 324,054 acres of cropland, 50% of farmland
  • 312,326 acres of pastureland, 48% of farmland
  • 3,842 acres of woodland, 1% of farmland
  • 1,750 acres irrigated

Farm sizes

Farms in McPherson County run larger than the national pattern: the median farm has 510 acres against 72 for the US. The average, pulled up by the largest operations, is 1,977 acres, 24th-largest of 65 in South Dakota. The most common size class is 2,000+ acres, with 27.6% of farms. Farms of 1,000 acres or more are 40.3% of the total.

1–92%10–495%50–17918%180–49925%500–99910%1,000–1,99913%2,000+28%
McPherson County US · farms by size

Barns, pens and pastures

AnimalsHeadShare of US
Turkeys317,5710.33%
Beef cows33,6680.12%
Cattle and calves68,1820.08%
Hogs and pigs48,0230.07%
Sheep and lambs1,476under 0.1%
Horses and ponies432under 0.1%
Goats22under 0.1%
Laying hens890under 0.1%

Withheld: broilers sold.

Who farms here

Decisions on McPherson County's 330 farms are made by 680 producers. Their average age is 56.8, 0.4 years below the South Dakota average. Women are 33.5% of them.

Under 3510%35–4418%45–5412%55–6419%65–7428%75+12%
McPherson County US · producers by age

Five years earlier

Measure2017Change to 2022
Farms382−13.6%
Land in farms, acres723,073−9.8%
Average farm size, acres1,893+4.4%
Farm products sold (current dollars)$140 million+51.0%
Oats, acres2,764+71.3%
Turkeys, head273,014+16.3%
Corn for silage, acres10,912−23.1%
Hay and haylage, acres79,074−7.4%

Nearest rivals

Counties with a similar sales mix

McPherson County accounts for 1.6% of farm sales in South Dakota and 1.2% of the farms in South Dakota. Rank South Dakota counties for oats.

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