Natural Resources

Gold was the natural resource that attracted settlement to the Black Hills in the past. Though gold is still the most valuable mineral commodity, rare earth elements, critical components of high-technology and alternative energy devices such as wind turbines, lasers, and electric cars are the target of modern day mineral exploration in the region.

After gold, the most important mined products in South Dakota are granite, clays, limestone, crushed stone, sand and gravel. Until the Homestake Mine in Lead closed in 2001, it made South Dakota a leading producer of gold.  Despite Homestake Mine being closed in 2001 gold mining is not a dead industry in the Black Hills.  In a recently published article the Deadwood Standard Project announced that they plan to start a new gold mining operation near Spearfish Canyon.  The article can be read here.

Rare earth elements discovered near Sundance are the focus of a proposed project in the Bear Lodge Mountains.  Proponents point to the benefit of a secure U.S. supply of these strategic minerals. Concerns about the project include its affect on air quality at nearby Devils Tower National Monument and on water quality in the Belle Fourche River watershed.

Oil exploration is another potential resource development in Western South Dakota, which was named the top site for oil and gas investment according to a survey of international petroleum executives in 2010. Oil exploration and approval of a permit for an oil pipeline across the area are hot topics in the news.

More than a million acres of the Black Hills are forested, providing grazing for tens of thousands of cattle, as well as 2,000 timber industry jobs with a $40 million payroll and a host of products.

To learn more about mining, oil and gas exploration and how South Dakota regulates mineral exploration, mining and oil and gas production in the Black Hills, click here.

Agriculture

A leading producer of beef, South Dakota’s cattle population (3.7 million) is nearly five times that of its human inhabitants.  In the Black Hills region, production of cattle and calves is the leading agricultural business.  South Dakota was the first state to initiate a program to verify the source of meat products with its “South Dakota Certified Beef” program.

Agriculture is the second largest industry in the state. The payroll for workers on farms and ranches in the Black Hills area topped $14.5 million in 2007.

Ranching and livestock production in western South Dakota also includes bison, sheep, hogs, goats and poultry, along with products like wool, eggs and milk.  Butte County has nearly 2000 colonies of bees and produces more than a hundred thousand pounds of honey annually.

Although West River agriculture is chiefly livestock production, crops grown include wheat, hay, alfalfa, corn for grain and silage, sunflowers, flaxseed and sorghum.

On a smaller scale, Black Hills area farmers are becoming part of the local, slow food and organic food movements. A network supporting area farmers has developed since 2010, advocating use of local food, area farmers markets and community gardens.  A growing number of restaurants in the Black Hills are featuring local foods.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture provides state summaries of agricultural facts and figures, including county-by-county summaries of farm numbers and sizes, employment, and value of production. You can learn more from USDA here. 

The U.S. Agricultural Census, conducted by the USDA every five years, is a great source for data on agricultural production and rural life. Summary from the 2007 Agricultural Census (the most recent version) for each county in the Black Hills are available here: Butte, Custer, Fall River, Lawrence, Meade, Pennington and Shannon.