It’s just after recess, and the class is buzzing with excitement. You’ve been studying resources in your state, and you know a field trip is coming up.
Today, your teacher will let everyone vote on where to go. You wonder what the choices will be. Maybe you’ll get to see a cattle ranch or a solar power plant. Your best friend loves spicy food, and she wants to see a pepper farm.
The Southwest has many resources, and people use them in different ways. They put cattle ranches on the grassy plains. They get pinewood from forests in northern New Mexico and Arizona. In eastern Texas and Oklahoma, they cut down oak and hickory trees, too. In Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, people drill for oil and natural gas. They also mine coal, copper, and uranium. Uranium is a metal used as a fuel in some power plants. They also get energy from the sun to power homes and businesses.
