Image of the Week - Unplanted Acres in South Dakota

Abnormally high spring rainfall and subsequent flooding in the Midwest had a season-long impact on cropland production. In these Landsat images of South Dakota growing vegetation is shown as green and unplanted areas appear pink. The difference between 2018 and 2019 is striking.



A designation of "prevented planting" is given to unplanted acres as a signal to crop insurance providers that fields are too flooded to plant by a certain date. By August, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had designated 3.9 million acres in South Dakota as prevented planting. More acres than any other state.