Frequently Asked Questions
What crops and agricultural operations are active on South Carolina farmland?
Farmers mostly grow soybeans and corn across the Coastal Plain with the Pee Dee counties of Florence Darlington and Marlboro pumping out the biggest row crop harvests in the state. Tobacco used to be the absolute biggest cash crop in the Pee Dee but farmers grow way less of it today.
Growing peaches is a massive business in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties and South Carolina actually produces one of the biggest commercial peach crops in the entire country during good weather years. Farmers also grow cotton down in the warmer inner Coastal Plain counties. Raising broiler chickens and turkeys brings in massive money for farmers in the Upstate and Midlands counties where the huge processing plants are located.
What does South Carolina farmland cost and what are typical cash rents?
According to the 2025 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service report farm dirt values have climbed across the Southeast. Because of this top tier Pee Dee row crop dirt in Florence and Darlington counties currently sells for $3,500 to $6,500 per acre. Midlands row crop dirt in Orangeburg and Calhoun counties runs $2,500 to $5,500 per acre.
Farmers usually pay $90 to $150 per acre every year just to rent great Pee Dee farm dirt. Grass pasture land up in the Upstate rents for $50 to $100 per acre. Even with recent price jumps South Carolina farm dirt stays much cheaper than similar land in North Carolina and Georgia making the Pee Dee region the absolute smartest farming investment in the state.
What should buyers know about timber on South Carolina farms?
Almost every farm in the Coastal Plain and Pee Dee regions features a mix of open crop fields and thick timber. Loblolly pine is the most popular tree planted for money and local timber mills across the state eagerly buy the wood. Longleaf pine is getting incredibly popular for farmers who want to make money selling timber while creating the perfect habitat for quail and other wildlife.
The absolute smartest way to make money on a Pee Dee or Coastal Plain farm is to combine the yearly cash from renting out the crop fields with the massive payouts from cutting timber every few years. You absolutely must hire an independent timber expert to evaluate exactly how much the trees are worth before you finalize a deal to buy a farm here.
