by Dawn Smith-Pfeifer
What does being #1 mean?
It’s human nature to want to be “the best” in various aspects of life. We want to be the best friend. The best basketball player. The best parent. The best employee. But what does that really mean?
In North Dakota, it means providing a lot of food and fiber for people who may not think much about food beyond what is and isn’t on grocery store shelves.
So, we’re going to take a little deeper dive into the world of agriculture in North Dakota. And know that we can say “We’re number 1!” and mean it in the production of a variety of commodities.
We ARE breadbasket and pasta royalty
Okay, maybe “royalty” is not the right word, but North Dakota ranks #1 in spring wheat and durum wheat production. What’s the difference between the two? Spring wheat is an excellent choice for pizza crust making, croissants and artisanal breads. Durum is harder and has a higher protein content than spring wheat, which makes it a much better choice for pasta. Nothing worse than a noodle that doesn’t keep its shape after cooking, right? Although we aren’t sure which county ranked highest in spring wheat production, Ward County came in second and Bottineau County third. Thank Williams County farmers for being #1 in durum production.
Mairzy Doats
Many of you are probably way too young to know that novelty song from the ‘40s, but I remember my mom singing it while growing up. What does that have to do with agriculture? Well, North Dakota is #1 in oat production – as in “Mares eat oats” from the song – and raised 23.4% of the nation’s oat supply. According to a 2018 NDSU oat publication, two-thirds of oats raised in the state are harvested for grain and the rest is used primarily for feed. So the next time you drink an oat beverage or have a bowl of oatmeal, know that some of it may have comefrom a North Dakota farm.
It’s good to bee king
With our apologies to the memory of Tom Petty (and his song, “It’s good to be king”) North Dakota is #1 year after year in honey production. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, North Dakota has ranked #1 for 19 consecutive years. Honey bees are great pollinators of flowering crops like sunflowers, canola, flax, alfalfa and sweet clover. Coincidentally (or maybe not) North Dakota also ranks #1 in sunflowers, canola and flaxseed!
How many more #1s are there?
The stats show that North Dakota is also ranked number one in rye, dry edible beans and pinto beans. And while we aren’t #1, we did rank second in four other crops: barley (You’ve heard the saying, “No barley, no beer” right?), dry edible peas, lentils and sugarbeets. (Did you know one acre of sugarbeets produces enough sugar for 71 people?) So overall, we rank first or second in 14 crops.
In all, agriculture contributes about $31 billion to North Dakota’s economy each year, according to an NDSU study. It is a prime driver of economic activity in all 53 counties, according to Greg Lardy, Vice President for Agricultural Affairs at NDSU.
So, there you have it. North Dakota is an agricultural economic powerhouse. And I for one, am incredibly grateful. Our farmers and ranchers will always be #1 in my book.
Dawn is the editor for On Your Table. If you have questions about agriculture or why farmers and ranchers do what they do, send her a note at onyourtable@ndfb.org and she will get an answer for you from our network of farmers and ranchers.