Sustain Agriculture

Photo by Warren Morgan

Hood River is the second smallest county in Oregon and most of the land is zoned for Forest or Exclusive Farm Use.

The Hood River Valley contains some of the nation’s premier irrigated farmland with deep volcanic soils.Local agriculture is one of our county’s biggest economic drivers bringing in $200 million in farm related sales annually. The valley includes more than 14,000 acres of commercial apple, cherry, pear and peach orchards. Hood River produces over 50% of the nation’s winter pears (Anjou, Bosc, Comice) and half of the apples grown in the state of Oregon.

Hood River farms and ranches tend to be family-oriented, often showing generations of family ownership. These small farms and ranches contribute to the sense of community in the Valley.

The high percentage of perennial crop farming combined with our county’s 200,000 plus acres of forest land creates significant carbon capturing capacity that mitigates fossil fuel emissions and helps fight global warming.