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South Dakota Ranks 8th for Dependence on Farm Subsidies

You’d think all those hippie farmers in liberal California would rely more heavily on government to sustain their farms than the God-fearing capitalists cultivating South Dakota’s crops. But no: according to a new analysis from the Environmental Working Group, from 1995 through 2021, South Dakota farmers took the eighth-largest share of federal farm subsidies, beating California farmers’ federal dependence by $4.7 billion:

The top 15 states with the most total farm subsidies distributed from 1995 to 2021, ranked by payments, were:

  1. Texas ($44.5 billion)
  2. Iowa ($39. 6 billion)
  3. Illinois ($32.7 billion)
  4. Minnesota ($28.1 billion)
  5. Kansas ($27.7 billion)
  6. Nebraska ($27 billion)
  7. North Dakota ($26.6 billion)
  8. South Dakota ($21 billion)
  9. Missouri ($17.4 billion)
  10. Indiana ($16.5 billion)
  11. California ($16.3 billion)
  12. Arkansas ($15.9 billion)
  13. Ohio ($12.8 billion)
  14. Wisconsin ($11.7 billion)
  15. Oklahoma ($11.5 billion) [Allison Winter, “Billions in Federal Farm Payments Flow to a Select Group of Producers, Report Shows,” South Dakota Searchlight, 2023.02.01].

Brown County depends most on federal support, collecting 5.5% of South Dakota’s farm subsidies.

Environmental Working Group, South Dakota farm subsidies by county, map retrieved 2023.02.03.
Environmental Working Group, South Dakota farm subsidies by county, map retrieved 2023.02.03.

$9.04 billion of that farm socialism came to South Dakota via commodity programs, of which Governor Kristi Noem’s family has collected $3.63 million. $7.61 billion came via crop insurance, which Governor Kristi Noem’s husband sells.

But why single out Noem for government dependency? EWG says 72% of South Dakota farms have collected federal farm subsidies. That’s more than 7 out of 10 farmers, a majority of whom are now Republicans, who can’t make it without handouts from Uncle Sam.

We already now that our current seeming economic growth is really an artifact of inflation and federal stimulus dollars covering up actual shrinkage in sales. The EWG farm subsidy data shows that South Dakota’s ongoing agricultural economic strength is an artifact of rank socialism, with the majority of South Dakota farmers taking handouts to stay in the field.

15 Comments

  1. Mark Anderson 2023-02-03 06:53

    If they’d change the name to Ranch subsidies, South Dakota would be number one. They do have standards you know.

  2. All Mammal 2023-02-03 07:47

    SD Searchlight, and, as always, DFP, as well as the other liberal news linked to on this site are so dank, I could roll it up and take two puffs before passing it.
    It is too bad the low-paid mothers in our state aren’t as special as the pearly-white water polluters. But hey, it a white to work state.

  3. larry kurtz 2023-02-03 08:32

    Taking taxpayer dollars to destroy the Big Sioux River? How conservative.

  4. Richard Schriever 2023-02-03 09:38

    A map showing the distribution per acre, or per landowner by actual location of the acres, or owner address would a great drill-down from the somewhat misleading political subdivision map.

  5. Nick Nemec 2023-02-03 11:04

    The mythical state of “Dakota” would be number one, easily outdistancing Texas.

  6. cibvet 2023-02-03 11:53

    I see about 3 blue and 12 red states. Sorta gives new meaning to the term “welfare queen”.

  7. grudznick 2023-02-03 12:28

    The mythical state of Minnesiowa is a grubbing bunch, aren’t they?

  8. e platypus onion 2023-02-03 15:37

    Minnesota’s population is 5.5X south Duhmagatville’s, so Minn should get 5.5X more federal aid. Iowa ‘s pop is approximately 3.5X South Duhmagatville’s so iowa should get 3.5X the federal money as South Duhmagatville, right, imaginary Goatzilla?

  9. Jenny 2023-02-03 20:27

    The farmer that says he built his farm by himself without anybody’s help was joking, right?

  10. Jenny 2023-02-04 06:54

    https://www.moneygeek.com/living/states-most-reliant-federal-government/
    Yeah, right, Grudzilla. Man, South Dakota is a big fat federal welfare queen according to the statistics. SD ranks 16th, (a whopping third of their budget!), compared to MN ranking 42nd (1/5th of their budget) in federal welfare money.

    So, how did South Dakota get to be such a free loader? What a bunch of hypocrites in Pierre.

  11. grudznick 2023-02-04 09:54

    Bring the gravy. grudznick is having libbie goats for breakfast this morning.

  12. 96Tears 2023-02-04 11:53

    Socialist-racist-fascist Kristi Noem doesn’t care about her uselessness in office and her jaw-dropping hypocrisies. As long as she and her family can fill pockets, it’s all good. Add to that $3.63 million in farm socialism commodity payments Kristi’s one-time payment of $600,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds. Bingo!

    She can’t help it if she’s lucky.

    https://apnews.com/article/business-small-business-south-dakota-coronavirus-pandemic-kristi-noem-cd19956faf1a20de3890b9638f5605a1

  13. Arlo Blundt 2023-02-04 20:43

    Well…come on fellas, everybody knows “Cash is King”. The feds are down on the corner handing out 100 dollar bills, who wouldn’t get in line with the Governor, several of our Legislators, and dozens of our friends and neighbors. If you are a dry land corn farmer your opportunity for a “good year” in the existing open market is about 3 in ten. You’ll break even in three and lose your shirt in four. The federal payments and the Ethanol Industry subsidy have brought relative prosperity to the Overalled among us. We should enjoy it while we can. Another Midwest Farm Disaster is always just around the corner.

  14. larry kurtz 2023-02-06 14:08

    Ag producers have destroyed shelter belts to plant industrial crops that deplete aquifers and now drought is blowing toxin-laden topsoil into downwind states. Spring wildfire seasons begin in eastern Colorado, western Kansas, the panhandles of Oklahoma, Texas and other Republican-held areas where moral hazard and poor ranching practices routinely decimate the high plains.

    With drought taking hold in the upper basin we should be sending thoughts and prayers in advance for the wretched masses that have poisoned their own wells and tapped into big gubmint to water lawns while they complain about Waters of the United States or WOTUS.

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