MAJOR INDUSTRIES

The major industries of Ontario are agriculture, forestry, mining, trapping and manufacturing. Other areas of Ontario's economy include commerce, banking, insurance, tourism, and government operations. Ontario has almost 68,600 farms that raise livestock adn livestock products. Crops produced include corn, wheat, barley, and hay.

Ontario harvests 29.6 million cu m (1 billion cu. ft.) of forests per year. Softwoods are used to produce paper and lumber for construction. Hardwoods are used in making furniture.

Commercial fishing is a small industry. Most fishing is concentrated in Lake Erie. Fisherman catch yellow perch, lake whitefish, smelt, pickerel, white bass, lake trout, and herring.

Many minerals are mined in Ontario. The principal ones are nickel, gold, copper, zinc, uranium, iron ore, silver, salt, sulpher, and cobalt.