Table 45. Selected Operation and Operator Characteristics: 2012 and 2007 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
Item 
South Dakota 
Aurora 
Beadle 
Bennett 
Bon Homme 
Brookings 
Brown 
FARMS 
Land in farms 
farms, 2012 
31,989 
442 
754 
219 
671 
1,023 
1,056 
2007 
31,169 
379 
750 
265 
563 
986 
1,036 
acres, 2012 
43,257,079 
442,007 
793,756 
606,496 
351,596 
449,020 
1,078,794 
2007 
43,666,403 
364,612 
769,855 
753,263 
308,583 
462,579 
1,085,020 
Flarvested cropland 
farms, 2012 
21,340 
308 
554 
149 
512 
627 
716 
2007 
21,902 
262 
545 
211 
485 
678 
696 
acres, 2012 
16,392,000 
245,146 
524,271 
130,669 
253,714 
284,894 
748,210 
TENURE 
2007 
15,278,709 
204,221 
400,360 
190,866 
198,410 
296,896 
619,940 
Full owners 
farms, 2012 
16,413 
199 
400 
100 
294 
628 
581 
2007 
15,626 
194 
356 
113 
235 
590 
539 
acres, 2012 
11,965,042 
91,227 
170,787 
223,199 
63,619 
105,546 
194,725 
2007 
11,646,998 
76,486 
140,400 
157,843 
57,156 
98,704 
241,030 
Flarvested cropland 
farms, 2012 
7,916 
89 
213 
55 
165 
297 
276 
2007 
8,169 
96 
183 
72 
167 
311 
240 
acres, 2012 
2,784,119 
35,251 
99,697 
20,450 
27,842 
46,443 
89,021 
2007 
2,576,102 
23,022 
57,635 
23,645 
27,161 
30,510 
81,227 
Part owners 
farms, 2012 
12,802 
206 
300 
103 
331 
317 
385 
2007 
12,754 
141 
338 
121 
281 
307 
412 
acres, 2012 
28,350,099 
317,738 
591,384 
368,873 
279,995 
320,146 
776,748 
2007 
28,889,546 
233,653 
588,675 
534,920 
240,760 
326,259 
739,447 
Owned land in farms 
acres, 2012 
14,242,200 
134,163 
284,227 
195,322 
137,062 
148,768 
337,647 
2007 
14,871,080 
108,621 
267,775 
285,114 
117,203 
1 78,632 
350,509 
Rented land in farms 
acres, 2012 
14,107,899 
183,575 
307,157 
173,551 
142,933 
171,378 
439,101 
2007 
14,018,466 
125,032 
320,900 
249,806 
123,557 
147,627 
388,938 
Flarvested cropland 
farms, 2012 
1 1 ,488 
186 
289 
85 
312 
276 
367 
2007 
1 1 ,797 
133 
315 
118 
276 
298 
388 
acres, 2012 
12,406,898 
190,303 
400,523 
101,737 
219,013 
223,614 
579,891 
2007 
11,492,480 
134,576 
313,779 
143,224 
163,629 
235,428 
460,356 
Tenants 
farms, 2012 
2,774 
37 
54 
16 
46 
78 
90 
2007 
2,789 
44 
56 
31 
47 
89 
85 
acres, 2012 
2,941,938 
33,042 
31,585 
14,424 
7,982 
23,328 
107,321 
2007 
3,129,859 
54,473 
40,780 
60,500 
10,667 
37,616 
104,543 
Flarvested cropland 
farms, 2012 
1,936 
33 
52 
9 
35 
54 
73 
2007 
1,936 
33 
47 
21 
42 
69 
68 
acres, 2012 
1,200,983 
19,592 
24,051 
8,482 
6,859 
14,837 
79,298 
2012 NUMBER OF ALL OPERATORS 
2007 
1,210,127 
46,623 
28,946 
23,997 
7,620 
30,958 
78,357 
Total operators 
number 
48,987 
638 
1,153 
368 
944 
1,554 
1,833 
Farms by number of operators: 
1 operator 
18,540 
270 
419 
112 
454 
589 
591 
2 operators 
11,017 
154 
294 
76 
179 
365 
340 
3 operators 
1,865 
13 
30 
22 
31 
54 
66 
4 operators 
385 
4 
9 
8 
6 
10 
16 
5 or more operators 
182 
1 
2 
1 
1 
5 
43 
Total women operators 
number 
12,640 
147 
280 
85 
202 
438 
653 
Farms by number of women operators: 
1 operator 
11,106 
141 
268 
81 
196 
405 
379 
2 operators 
555 
3 
6 
2 
3 
12 
19 
3 operators 
35 
- 
- 
- 
- 
3 
2 
4 operators 
11 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
2 
5 or more operators 
41 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
37 
2007 NUMBER OF ALL OPERATORS 
Total operators 
number 
46,710 
544 
1,141 
442 
786 
1,487 
1,562 
Farms by number of operators: 
1 operator 
18,743 
245 
424 
131 
382 
594 
616 
2 operators 
10,157 
120 
280 
101 
153 
308 
341 
3 operators 
1,704 
6 
31 
25 
19 
67 
62 
4 operators 
397 
3 
14 
7 
6 
11 
12 
5 or more operators 
168 
5 
1 
1 
3 
6 
5 
Total women operators 
number 
1 1 ,499 
132 
288 
121 
157 
353 
387 
Farms by number of women operators: 
1 operator 
10,454 
116 
266 
111 
155 
325 
346 
2 operators 
436 
2 
9 
5 
1 
10 
19 
3 operators 
47 
4 
- 
- 
- 
- 
1 
4 operators 
8 
- 
1 
- 
- 
2 
- 
5 or more operators 
PRINCIPAL OPERATOR CHARACTERISTICS 
Sex of operator: 
Male 
farms, 2012 
29,656 
417 
724 
208 
635 
940 
948 
2007 
28,775 
352 
703 
241 
544 
914 
950 
acres, 2012 
41,461,934 
433,526 
788,470 
599,608 
346,250 
433,728 
1,044,636 
2007 
41,768,446 
358,937 
759,233 
720,828 
296,276 
442,237 
1,049,891 
Female 
farms, 2012 
2,333 
25 
30 
11 
36 
83 
108 
2007 
2,394 
27 
47 
24 
19 
72 
86 
acres, 2012 
1,795,145 
8,481 
5,286 
6,888 
5,346 
15,292 
34,158 
Primary occupation: 
2007 
1 ,897,957 
5,675 
10,622 
32,435 
12,307 
20,342 
35,129 
Farming 
2012 
18,844 
268 
419 
149 
367 
473 
606 
2007 
18,775 
234 
459 
188 
394 
481 
589 
Other 
2012 
13,145 
174 
335 
70 
304 
550 
450 
Place of residence: 
2007 
12,394 
145 
291 
77 
169 
505 
447 
On farm operated 
2012 
24,334 
359 
559 
175 
496 
802 
779 
2007 
23,556 
262 
590 
227 
433 
761 
763 
Not on farm operated 
2012 
7,655 
83 
195 
44 
175 
221 
277 
2007 
7,613 
117 
160 
38 
130 
225 
273 
-continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - County Data South Dakota 479 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
