Most beef cattle are raised on the rangeland of eastern Oregon, while dairy operations are concentrated in the western portion of the state. Sheep and poultry are also raised largely in the west.
Cattle and calf production is Oregon's leading agricultural activity in terms of value, although income varies greatly with market conditions. Ranchers lease large tracts of federally owned grazing land under a permit system.
In 2003, Oregon ranches and farms had around 1.36 million cattle and calves, worth an estimated $1.03 billion. During 2001, the state produced nearly 13 million lb (5.9 million kg) of sheep and lambs, which brought in $8.1 million in gross income; in 2002 shorn wool production was an estimated 1.3 million lb (0.6 million kg) of wool. The 2001 milk output was estimated at 1.71 billion lb (0.8 billion kg). Oregon's poultry farmers produced nearly 4.4 million lb (2 million kg) of chickens in 2001, and 818 million eggs.