27 / 64
Nonetheless, Kansas is still a major
farm state. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture counted more than 61,000
farms in Kansas in 2012. In fact,
farms make up about 90 percent of
the state’s total land area. Kansas
ranks number one in the nation for
wheat production and flour milling. It
is also the nation’s top producer of
sorghum, one of the world’s oldest
crops. It is thought that sorghum was
first brought to the United States on a
slave ship from Africa in the late
1700s. Today, the U.S. uses the grain
primarily for animal feed. Other major
crops grown in Kansas include corn,
soybeans, sunflowers, and alfalfa hay.
Kansas’s biggest source of agricul-
tural revenue comes from cattle—a
legacy of the state’s 19th century cow-
towns. It is the nation’s third largest
producer of cattle. Kansas also has a
multi-million dollar meatpacking
industry.
Central Kansas, in particular, is
rich in mineral resources, including
oil, coal, and natural gas. According to
the Kansas Geological Survey, Kansas
pumped about 3.8 million barrels of
27
Lower Plains: Kansas, Nebraska
An oil pump in a Kansas wheat field. The state
has become one of America’s leading produc-
ers of oil and natural gas.
A large grain elevator and fertilizer tanks near
Alexander.