"pioneer farmer in a cattle-grazing region," originally in the U.S. West, 1897, from sod (n.1) + agent noun from bust (v.).
Entries linking to sodbuster
sod n.1
"turf, slice of earth with grass on it," mid-15c., sodde, apparently from Middle Dutch sode "turf," or Middle Low German sode, both related to Old Frisian satha "sod" and all of uncertain origin. Perhaps the notion is water saturation and the group is related to sog. Colloquial the (old) sod "one's native country," especially if it is Ireland, is from 1812.
bust v.
"to burst," 1806, variant of burst (v.); for loss of -r-, compare ass (n.2). The meaning "go bankrupt" is from 1834. The meaning "break (into)" is from 1859. The slang meaning "demote" (especially in a military sense) is from 1918; that of "place under arrest" is from 1953 (earlier "to raid" from Prohibition). In card games, "to go over a score of 21," from 1939. Related: Busted; busting.