By Scout Nelson
South Dakota farmers have significantly expanded their on-farm grain storage in 2023, according to the latest report from the USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service. The data, reflecting December 1, 2023, positions South Dakota corn stocks at 730 million bushels, marking a substantial 23% increase from the previous year.
Of the total corn stocks, a noteworthy 480 million bushels are stored on farms, also experiencing a 23% surge compared to 2022. Off-farm stocks contribute 250 million bushels, exhibiting the same percentage increase from the previous year.
Wheat stocks, on the other hand, slightly decreased, totaling 43.8 million bushels. On-farm stocks witnessed a 10% rise, reaching 22.0 million bushels, while off-farm stocks decreased by 9% to 21.8 million bushels compared to the previous year.
Oats and barley stocks both registered positive growth. Oats stocks totaled 6.32 million bushels, with on-farm stocks increasing by 10% to 4.50 million bushels, and off-farm stocks growing by 54% to 1.82 million bushels. Barley stocks, totaling 270,000 bushels, saw on-farm stocks surge by 39% to 250,000 bushels.
Sorghum off-farm stocks experienced a significant uptick, totaling 9.74 million bushels, marking a substantial 98% increase from the previous year.
Additionally, hay stocks on South Dakota farms showed a robust increase, reaching 5.40 million tons on December 1, 2023, reflecting a notable 24% growth from the previous year.
The increased grain holdings, grain storage capacity in South Dakota remains unchanged from December 1, 2022, totaling 1.19 billion bushels. This comprises 740 million bushels of on-farm storage and 445 million bushels of off-farm storage, both unchanged from the previous year.
For further details, refer to the National publication here and the National Executive Briefing here.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-sveta
Categories: South Dakota, Crops, Corn