Grain and forage for livestock are the main crops. Beans, sugar beets, peas, and seed crops are also grown in places where soils, climate, and markets are favorable. Most of the privately owned land is controlled by large commercial timber companies. All the forested areas are used as wildlife habitat, for recreation and watershed, and for timber production. Meadows on the upper mountain slopes and crests above timberline provide summer grazing for livestock and big game animals.
Mining is an important industry in Idaho and in western Montana.
Dairy and livestock farms are important enterprises in the west. Less than 2 percent of the area is cropped. Forage, grain, peas, and a few other crops are grown in some valleys. Some areas in Montana and Wyoming are at an elevation of 2,100 to 3,000 m, and mountain peaks are almost 4,300 m. High mountains having steep slopes and sharp crests are cut by narrow valleys, most of which have steep gradients.