Orovada series soils are extensive in northern Nevada, where they have an extent of more than 360,000,000 acres (150,000,000 ha) in the Great Basin. They are common soils on semiarid rangeland with sagebrush-grassland plant communities. Orovada soils are arable, able to be cultivated, when irrigated and are considered prime farmland. Alfalfa for hay and seed, winter wheat, barley, and grasses for hay and pasture are the principal crops grown on these soils.
Orovada soils are well drained and formed in alluvium derived from mixed rock sources and in loess and volcanic ash. These soils typically occur in the Great Basin section of the Basin and Range physiographic province.