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I n:J'r.'~"l u l i~ u.J.... I employment will continue to decline through 2000 and should achieve stabilIty I at about 6 percent of the basin's employed population around the turn of the I I I I I century. Between 1975 and 2000, Indian employment is projected to increase from 17 percent of the Indian population to 19 percent. In 1970, Indian unemployment was about seven times that for the United States overall, as high as 70 percent on some reservations. Economy Since the Federal Homestead Act of 1862 opened the land in the Missouri River Basin to agriculture, the basin has become an extremely important I producer of the Nation's and the world's food supply. By the early 1970's, farmers and ranchers within the basin annually produced close to 33 percent of the U.S. wheat crop, 25 percent of the Nation's sorghum, 25 percent of the I I Nation's hay, and 22 percent of corn grown for grain. In 'addition, the region was producing in excess of 20 percent of the Nation's livestock and poultry. From a broader agricultural perspective, regional production accounts for 10 to 12 percent of the world corn harvest and 4 to 6 percent of the world wheat crop annually. Despite the decline in the number of workers engaged in agriculture, this sector is expected to continue as the dominant economic activity. The basin possesses significant hardwood and softwood timber resources, primarily concentrated in the Rocky Mountains, the Black Hills, and the Ozark Plateau. Harvesting trends have shown increasing timber production since 1961. A large percentage of forests and woodlands are also grazed, providing a second valuable agricultural use. Metallic and nonmetallic minerals and energy fuel resources developments are important factors in the basin's economic growth. Deposits of metallic ores in the Rocky Mountains and the Black Hills contribute to the Nation's I I I I I I I I 2-13