South Dakota’s beleaguered beekeepers managed to bounce back last year. According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, South Dakota produced 19.4 million pounds of honey in 2019, up 62% from a rough 2018. That’s the second-biggest honey haul in the United States, behind only North Dakota’s 33.8 million pounds. The Dakotas produced 33.9% of America’s honey in 2019. Nationwide, honey production rose 1.9%.
That extra production helped producers weather declining honey prices. The per-pound price dropped from $1.91 in 2018 to $1.53 in 2019. The total value of South Dakota honey production rose 30% to $29.7 million.
Nationwide, beekeepers produced $309.1 million of honey, down 9.2% from 2018. Beekeepers reported $309.6 million in pollination income, up 2.6% from 2018.