Students discover that topsoil is a nonrenewable resource and use an apple to represent how Earth’s land resources are used. Through critical thinking, students study agricultural land use and consider the sustainability of current land use practices including the use of land to feed and graze livestock animals. Grades 9-12

Using various forms of maps, students will analyze public lands in the western United States, describe how ranchers raise food and fiber on federally owned land, and discuss different points of view concerning public lands use and public lands grazing. This lesson covers a socioscientific issue and aims to provide students with tools to evaluate science within the context of social and economic points of view. Grades 9-12

The 2021 Food and Farm Facts series features interesting and educational facts about food in America - how and where it is grown, and who produces it. Color photographs and USA Today-style graphics illustrate the many fascinating facets of today’s agriculture. The series includes a 32-page book with map insert.

A series of interactive maps illustrating how land is used in America.

In this PBS production three families traveled back in time to the days of the Wild West, living as settlers did on the frontier in the 1880s. Each family took over their own 160-acre plot of homestead land in a remote region of Montana. They were then filmed as they built their homes, tended livestock, and planted crops, all without the assistance of modern technology. Their triumphs and frustrations provide a unique account of an important period of American history and a unique perspective on the practice and importance of agriculture.