The Land between the Rivers Sherman County lies between the deep canyons of the John Day River on the east, the Deschutes River on the west and the Columbia River on the north in north central Oregon. Much of the boundary on the south is defined by the steep, rugged canyons of Buck Hollow, a tributary of the Deschutes. The county's 831 square miles are approximately 20 miles wide and 42 miles long. Elevation ranges from 185 feet on the Columbia River to 3,600 feet on the plateau in the south. Summers are warm, dry and clear.
Winters are relatively mild.
Average rainfall is 11.56 inches a year, about half occurring November through February. A Golden Land High and dry on the Columbia Plateau, Sherman County's most important crop is soft white winter wheat. Moisture laden spring winds from the Pacific Ocean and a summer fallow farming system permit dryland wheat and barley production. Grain is trucked from the July and August harvest fields to cooperative elevators and barge and rail shipping facilities at Biggs for transport to Portland. Supplementary income comes from beef cattle which graze the 223,000 acres of native grass range in early summer and on wheat stubble in the fall.