Where Does South Dakota Rank Among States with the Most Farmland?

You don't have to travel very far around our neck of the woods to see firsthand just how much agriculture impacts our lives.

Lots of land

But it's not just the Upper Midwest; the amount of land in America dedicated to farming is staggering - about 876 million acres, or nearly 40 percent of this country's soil is devoted to ag.

There are places where 40 percent is a nice start, but nowhere near the reality.

READ MORE: October Brings New Sobriety Checkpoints Across South Dakota

South Dakota stats

Take South Dakota, for instance. According to the latest data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Mount Rushmore State boasts more than 87 percent of its land to farming - second only to Nebraska's 89.5 percent.

States with the highest percentage of farmland

1. Nebraska - 89.5%
2. South Dakota -  87.2%
3. North Dakota -  87.2%
4. Kansas - 85.6%
5. Iowa - 83.9%
6. Oklahoma - 74.9%
7. Texas - 74.8%
8. Illinois  - 74%
9. Indiana - 63.2%
10. Montana - 61.6%

So, just how much of a disparity between the amount of farmland across the country? It's jaw-dropping when you consider that six states don't even reach the 10 percent mark.

States with the lowest percentage of farmland

1. Alaska - 0.2%
2. Maine - 6.1%
3. New Hampshire -  7.3%
4. Nevada - 8.4%
5. Rhode Island - 9.1%
6. Massachusetts - 9.4%
7. Connecticut - 11.9%
8. New Jersey - 14.9%
9. Utah - 20%
10. Vermont - 20.3%

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