Horses and llamas are prevalent. Smaller herds of beef cattle, fine Angus bull operations, dairy cows, sheep, goats, small pens of pigs, ostrich, fowl and victory gardens are also common. A small commercial greenhouse operation on Cline Falls Road raises natural herbs for Northwest markets and restaurants, as well as medicinal sprouts. Tumalo has a short, 80-day growing season. Northeast of U.S. 20 is open range country with 360-degree views.
Winters are cold, windy and dry, and summers have warm days and cool nights.
Eastern Tumalo is more suited to larger grazing operations and some grass and alfalfa hay production. Southwest of U.S. 20, Tumalo gets closer to the skirts of the Cascades, where there are more conifers, more snow in the winter and rockier soils. This part of Tumalo is slightly more expensive and upscale, perhaps due to the picturesque pine forests framing the white peaks of the Three Sisters mountains. The Deschutes River cuts through a canyon on the southern and eastern boundary of Tumalo. Property values are generally high in Tumalo, due to this area's proximity to Bend, great views and attractive pastoral landscape.