What Natural Resources Does Texas Have?
Texas leads the United States in production of oil, cattle, sheep, hay, goats and cotton. Other agricultural products include poultry, eggs, milk, wheat, rice and peanuts. In addition to oil, mining resources include sulfur, helium, salt, graphite, asphalt, bromine, natural gas and cement. The reservoirs in Texas are nearly 67 percent full and the state has more than 25.5 million acre-feet of water stored.
Texas contains 248,800 ranches and farms that contain more than 130.2 million acres of farmland, more than any other U.S. state. The value of the cattle produced in Texas is $10.5 billion, with another $1.8 billion from milk production. Cotton products are valued at $2.2 billion, and broiler chickens are worth $1.7 billion.
Texas produces more crude oil than any other state in the union. Texas has 27 petroleum refineries, with a total capacity of more than 5.1 million barrels per day. Daily production accounts for 29 percent of the United States’ refining capacity.
The Lone Star state has abundant mineral resources. Salt is present in many domes along coastal areas. Brine wells are found throughout the state, making Texas one of the leading salt producers in the United States. Texas leads the country in helium production, which is extracted from the same rocks as natural gas. Sulfur is present in the same areas as salt, and Texas uses this sulfur in the oil refining industry.
