Work Halstad is a small town in western Norman County and was settled in 1883. The early settlers were mainly of Scandinavian origin who were lured here by the promise of free homestead land. The town gets its name for Ole Halstad, one of its first settlers, who established the first post office in his home just east of Halstad in 1872. Halstad is located in the heart of the Red River Valley, which is claimed to be some of the richest farmland in the world.
Main crops grown are wheat, barley, soybeans, and sugar beets.
The current population is 611. Norman County West High School is located in Halstad with the elementary school six miles south in the town of Hendrum. Total enrollment, K-12, averages around five hundred students. Agriculture drives the economy. Other major employers besides the school, are a nursing home and a rural electric company.