The South Dakota Department of Agriculture has released the 2019 South Dakota Agricultural Economic Contribution Study. The analysis shows agriculture contributes $32.5 billion annually to South Dakota’s economy up $6.9 billion from the 2014 study. SDSU Extension Risk Business Management Specialist Matt Diersen says farming continues to be the foundation of the economy.

The study also showed the number of agricultural and related jobs increased from 115,000 to over 132,000. That represents 22 percent of the workforce in South Dakota. Diersen says the key to keeping the industry growing lies with livestock and value-added ag development.

He says South Dakota’s agricultural success spills over to the overall economy.

Diersen says it’s beneficial when both the ag and non-ag economies are diverse.