SIOUX FALLS - Honey production in South Dakota last year totaled 17 million pounds, the second-most in the nation behind North Dakota.

The Agriculture Department says South Dakota production from producers with five or more colonies was up 3 percent over the year.

Prices for the 2012 crop averaged $1.94 per pound, up from $1.70 in 2011. The total value of the state's honey crop was $33 million, up 18 percent over the year.

North Dakota's honey production last year totaled 34.2 million pounds.

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