By Wheat was once the dominant crop throughout the Midwest.
However, shifts in climate, advancements in crop genetics, and new methods of managing weeds and pests have led to corn and soybeans replacing wheat as the primary crops in the region.
Jamie and Brian Johnson are some of the farmers who still include wheat in their crop rotation on their farm near Frankfort. Jamie is also a member of the South Dakota Wheat Commission Board of Directors, a position she’s held since December 2023. The commission works to stabilize and improve the South Dakota wheat industry through research, market development and education.
Johnson
“I serve on the commission because I find it incredibly valuable to have wheat in the farming rotation,” she said. “It helps us with our soil health and conservation goals on our farm. By having wheat in our rotation we are able to utilize cover crops for grazing our cattle herd, while also increasing organic matter and water infiltration. In years like this one, where we had an abundance of rain, being able to cycle water efficiently is very valuable. As a group, we are very focused on supporting South Dakota State University’s research on agronomic improvements and disease issues that make raising wheat more challenging.”
Leaders in conservation, the Johnsons were named the South Dakota Leopold Conservation Award winners for 2019 and were also honored with the Region 7 National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Environmental Stewardship Award in 2020.
“This year’s wheat harvest in South Dakota saw notable challenges and variability due to wet weather, but achieved progress despite those setbacks,” Jamie said. “Heavy rainfall events and cooler conditions earlier in the growing season made for challenging growing and especially harvesting conditions, resulting in average to below-average yields across the state.”
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, the estimated yields showed an average of 46 bushels per acre. In 2025, South Dakota had 630,000 acres of spring wheat harvested and 790,000 acres of winter wheat harvested. That produced an estimated 28.9 million bushels of spring wheat and 29.9 million bushels of winter wheat. The final numbers will be released in November.
Prices for wheat are sitting at historical lows, around $4.60 to $4.80 a bushel, which makes it hard for farmers to consider planting wheat. South Dakota accounts for around 3% of the wheat grown in the U.S., according to 2023 the National Agricultural Statistic Service. There are fewer acres being planted to winter wheat, while spring wheat acres are holding steady.
Kleinjan
Jon Kleinjan, executive director of the South Dakota Wheat Commission, said that wet weather during harvest can cause pre-harvest sprouting, which is detrimental because it reduces grain yield by breaking down starches and proteins. That decreases grain quality and marketability. This leads to financial losses for farmers, affects baking and malting processes, and can result in grains being discounted or rejected by elevators.
Kleinjan began working for the South Dakota Wheat Commission in January 2024 and took over as executive director that June. Previously, he oversaw the SDSU spring and winter wheat variety trials and other aspects of wheat research as an Extension agronomist.
“This year, there was quite a bit of wheat streak mosaic virus in the central part of the state,” he said. “In the east, wet weather generally causes issues with Fusarium head blight and DON, but the severity can depend largely on variety planted, fungicide use, etc.”
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DON, or deoxynivalenol, is also called vomitoxin. It’s a mycotoxin produced by fungal pathogens that can cause health problems in humans and animals.
Adding to the stress of farmers, he said, BNSF Railway recently raised shipping rates for wheat, which cuts into the already low prices and makes growing even less profitable.
That’s important as South Dakota has no flour mills, so farmers typically sell to local grain buyers. The buyers, in turn, ship to domestic mills or export markets. About 75% to 80% of South Dakota wheat is used domestically and 20% to 25% is exported. Kleinjan said he’s heard that it is possible to contract with an out-of-state mill directly.
Wheat was once a dominant crop in the Midwest, but now accounts for 3% of the crop raised in the United States. Photo by Connie Groop for the Aberdeen Insider.
Early 1900s were a golden age in agriculture
Randy Englund, past executive director of the South Dakota Wheat Commission, described it this way in his 2020 historical overview of wheat cultivation in South Dakota.
“It’s been said that the beginning of the past century, the period of 1900 to 1920, was the ‘Golden Age of Agriculture.’ The average gross income of farms more than doubled during this period and the value of farms tripled. The increased use of bigger and more powerful machinery was largely the key to farmers’ success. It was truly a time of ‘Freedom to Farm,’ as the farm bill wasn’t developed until 1933.
“There were nearly 80,000 farms in South Dakota at the beginning of the 20th century. Contrast that to the latest census figures of 29,600 in 2020.
“South Dakota’s wheat production in 1900 was 26.3 million bushels, grown on 4.05 million acres. The average yield was 6.5 bushels to the acre and the average price was 58 cents per bushel. South Dakota was considered a wheat state then, with only 1.3 million acres of corn being grown. Corn averaged 27 bushels/acre and was worth 29 cents per bushel.
“Spring wheat was the predominant class of wheat grown in South Dakota in the first half of the century. Of the 4 million acres harvested in 1900, almost all were spring wheat acres. Production of hard red winter wheat did not approach 10 million bushels until 1957, when state winter wheat production doubled.
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“The 1929 stock market crash took its toll on wheat prices, which went from $1 in 1929, to 56 cents in 1930. Speaking of drought, the ‘dirty thirties’ brought the state’s record low yield of 4.3 bushels per acre in 1933. The lowest total production on record was 732,000 bushels in 1934. That year, 3,035,000 acres were planted, but only 158,000 were harvested.
“We ended the 20th century with a new record yield of 39.9 bushels per acre in 1999. It’s interesting to note that total harvested wheat acres in 1999 was 940,000 less than 1900, yet in 1999 total wheat production was 3.5 times greater.
“In 1961, when the South Dakota Wheat Commission was established by farmers, wheat yields were 14.5 bushels per acre. South Dakota produced 33.5 million bushels on 2.3 million harvested acres. In 2012, South Dakota wheat farmers produced three times as much wheat on essentially the same acres (2.2 million harvested acres at 45.8 bushels per acre).
“The future challenges are great and considerable investment in research will be needed to meet growing demands. Developing new varieties and researching ways to increase yields with fewer inputs will be at the forefront of these challenges.”
Connie Sieh Groop of Frederick is a veteran journalist and writer who has focused on all aspects of the agriculture industry during her career.
