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The distribution of farm products depends primarily on climate and markets. Dairy farming is concentrated in the northwestern part of the state, especially in the Willamette Valley and on the coast. Here the mild rainy winters and cool summers favor the production of hay and pasture. Whole milk, butter, and cheese are produced in large quantities, some for out-of-state markets. Tillamook cheese, one of Oregon’s best-known brands, is produced in the coastal area, and large quantities of cheese are produced in the Willamette Valley. Fruits and vegetables are grown and marketed fresh or processed in canneries and freezing plants in the Willamette Valley, also the center of the state’s hazelnut production. Medford, in Jackson County, produces large quantities of pears and other fruits, as does the Hood River Valley near the Columbia River. Fruits and vegetables are also important in several places in eastern Oregon, especially in the irrigated areas around Vale and Ontario. A number of farms in the state have begun growing grapes for use by local wineries.

Wheat farming, formerly more widespread in the state, is now concentrated in the north central section, in the Deschutes-Umatilla Plateau. Here the moderate rainfall, fertile soils, and relatively cheap land are favorable for the production of spring and winter wheat and other small grains by dry farming. Much of the wheat is grown for export, particularly to Asian countries. One of the best wheat-growing regions is near Pendleton, an area that also produces peas.

Cattle ranching is widely distributed in Oregon, especially in the eastern part of the state. Here the semiarid grasslands and forest grazing lands, much of it owned by the federal government, are used for cattle and sheep. The irrigated areas serve to supply hay and other forage crops as winter feed for the ranching areas. Some cash crops, such as sugar beets and potatoes, are produced as well.

Commercial fishing is one of the oldest industries in Oregon, but it has never employed a large proportion of the population. The commercial catch of fish and shellfish in the mid-1990s was valued at $76 million. Salmon is the principal commercial fish of Oregon. Other valuable species caught are tuna, crabs, shrimp, and flounder.

Since 1938, Oregon has been the largest producer of lumber in the United States. About one-sixth of the softwood lumber produced in the United States comes from Oregon. Forestry and related industries like the production of lumber, pulp, paper, plywood, and furniture provided almost one-fourth the personal income from industry in 1996.

Oregon’s forest area covers 10.8 million hectares (26.6 million acres). Most of the commercial timber comes from the western part of the state, where Douglas fir accounts for most of the annual harvest. In the northeastern section of the state, ponderosa pine is the principal timber tree.

A number of metallic minerals, including nickel, mercury, gold, silver, and copper, have been worked in some quantities. Small gold rushes in the 1850s created a number of boomtowns. Most of the mines have been worked out, have reduced production, or have been closed because of market conditions.

Among the most valuable minerals in Oregon’s economy are sand and gravel, crushed stone, cement, diatomite, lime, and pumice. Basaltic lavas, which are widespread, afford an excellent source for crushed rock. Pumice, in the production of which Oregon ranks first in the nation, is abundant in the central part of the state. Oregon ranks second in the nation in the production of diatomite, a chalky stone formed from the fossilized skeletons of diatoms and often used as an abrasive or as a material for filtering water. The state also produces semiprecious gemstones, including agates, opals, jasper, and petrified wood.

One out of five wage earners in Oregon is engaged in one of the various wood-processing industries. This figure jumps to one of every four wage earners if the manufacture of paper products and wood furniture is also included. The leading employers in the wood-products industries are firms engaged in making lumber, plywood, and wood pulp as well as finished goods such as mobile homes, wood cabinets, and corrugated boxes. The manufacture of electronic and electrical equipment expanded rapidly during the 1990s and now contributes the most value to the state’s economy of any industry. A number of high technology firms located in the Portland metropolitan region during the 1990s, chiefly making semiconductors, computers, or computer-related products. The food processing industry remains an integral part of Oregon’s economy. Leading employers include companies preparing frozen or canned fruits and vegetables and those processing seafood.

Most of the industries of Oregon are in or near the Willamette Valley. The bordering Cascades and Coast Ranges furnish a large proportion of the logs and pulpwood for processing, and the farms of the Willamette Valley produce most the raw materials for the food plants. Many of the processing plants in other parts of the state are devoted to woodworking industries, but there are also other types, such as aluminum-processing plants on the Columbia River. Other Oregon industries include manufacturers of industrial machinery such as woodworking, construction, and mining equipment; producers of instruments, most notably equipment to measure electricity as well as dental and electromedical equipment and supplies; and primary metal industries, including blast furnaces and steel mills, steel foundries, and aluminum plants. Printing and publishing are also important industries.

In addition to the rapid rise of high technology production, manufacturing has tended toward more highly specialized processing of raw materials. For example, the production of plywood has increased much more rapidly than the production of lumber. Also, in food processing, more attention is given to canning and freezing than to the marketing of fresh produce.

Hydroelectric power plants generate 81 percent of the electricity produced in Oregon. In the late 1990s Oregon ranked second in the country in the generation of hydroelectric energy, behind only Washington. The Columbia River basin, which Oregon shares with several other states, contains one-third of the hydroelectric energy potential of the United States. The Columbia River furnishes much of Oregon’s hydroelectric energy. Along the river on Oregon’s northern boundary are the Bonneville Dam, east of Portland, the Dalles Dam, the John Day Dam, and the McNary Dam, which is near Umatilla. Dams in the Columbia system outside of the state also feed power into Oregon. The remaining small share of electricity generated in the state comes from facilities burning fossil fuels, principally coal and natural gas. The state’s sole nuclear power plant, near Rainier on the lower Columbia, has been closed.

Real Estate: Idaho - Oregon Relocation

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Official Website for the State of Oregon

www www.real-estate-2000.com