Industries of the Central Plains of Texas: Ag, Energy, Manufacturing, Tourism

The Central Plains (Rolling Plains, Cross Timbers, Grand Prairie subregions) anchor Texas's diversified inland economy.

Agriculture: Crops and Cattle

Crops: Cotton (king), wheat, grain sorghum, corn, peanuts, hay. Irrigation from Ogallala Aquifer (declining). Livestock: Beef cattle (cow-calf, stockers), dairies expanding. Major feedlots near Amarillo/Plainview.

Oil and Gas: Legacy and Revival

Permian Basin (west), Fort Worth Basin (east), Barnett Shale (pioneered fracking). Conventional + horizontal drilling. Midstream infrastructure dense. Cyclical but foundational.

Wind Energy: National Leader

Texas #1 in wind capacity (35+ GW). Central Plains corridors (Sweetwater, Roscoe, Abilene) host massive farms (Roscoe: 781 MW). Transmission (CREZ lines) moves power to cities. Solar rising fast.

Manufacturing: Value-Added

• Food processing (Tyson, Cargill, dairies)
• Agricultural equipment
• Petroleum refining (Abilene, Big Spring)
• Wind turbine components (towers, blades)
• Defense (Bell Helicopter Amarillo, Pantex nuclear)

Tourism: Heritage and Outdoors

Fort Worth Stockyards, Palo Duro Canyon (2nd largest US), Caprock Canyons, Lubbock (Buddy Holly), Abilene (frontier), Waco (Magnolia/Silo). Hunting/fishing leases significant rural income.

Integration

Wind farms lease ranch land. Oilfield services cluster near ag supply. Community colleges train for all sectors. The region's resilience comes from this mix—when oil dips, wind/ag/defense hold.