Farming is difficult due to the short growing season, infertile soils, and poorly drained land. About 8 percent of Finland's area is cultivated. The chief crops are hay, barley, oats, sugar beets, potatoes, wheat, rapeseed, and rye. Frost is a major problem and frequently causes some degree of crop failure. Cattle are raised for beef and for dairy products, including milk, butter, and cheese.
Forests provide Finland with a significant economic resource.
Two thirds of the forestland is privately owned by farmers, and forest products normally provide more than one third of an average farm income. Lumbering is an important part-time activity for farmers in southern Finland and is also a major commercial activity. The nation is a major supplier of wood and paper products to Western European nations. Zinc, copper, nickel, gold, and silver are other important metallic minerals. Granite is quarried for the building industry.