Oregon’s food starts with simple ingredients: soil, water, and sunshine. From these raw materials—and the innovation of growers—Oregon’s chefs, brewers, winemakers, and cheesemakers concoct some of the world’s finest foods and beverages.
Those simple ingredients combine to produce more than 220 kinds of crops, reflecting a remarkable diversity of climate and entrepreneurship across the state. Agriculture and food processing account for 10 percent of Oregon’s economy and are an iconic part of the Oregon landscape. Strong environmental protection of natural resources helps ensure sustainability of that economy and landscape.
Oregon has set a high standard for quality, both for the food produced and the land and water used in food production. From this lovely, varied landscape comes the highest quality fruits and vegetables, nuts and grains, meat and fish, milk and cheese, beer and wine. In this issue of Oregon’s Agricultural Progress, we explore what it takes to conjure up this abundant cornucopia from our precious soil, water, and sunshine.