Most soil areas have been disturbed, and only small remnants of the former prairie vegetation remain. About 2 percent of the area is used for urban development or for other purposes.
Soybeans are the major crop, but corn, small grains, and cotton are also grown.
Pastures are used mainly for beef production, but in some places dairying is an important industry. The woodland is about 75 to 80 percent privately owned, and about 20 to 25 percent is owned by industry. This is not a very productive woodland area. Controlling soil erosion and infestation of Johnsongrass on soils that are cultivated are major concerns of management. Some of the more prominent valley floors are less than 25 m, and a few ridgetops exceed 100 m. Valley floors, side slopes, and ridgetops are underlain by clay, marl, and chalk.