About 8 percent of the area is cropland. Corn, hay, and tobacco are the major crops. About 8 percent is pasture used mostly for beef cattle. Stabilizing strip-mined areas is a major concern of management. The variable snowfall averages about 50 cm.
Water is abundant in most of the area.
In most years precipitation is adequate for crops, but in some years yields are reduced by droughts. The large streams and constructed lakes supply most of the urban water. Farm ponds, wells, and cisterns are sources of water in rural communities. Large quantities of ground water are available in the valley of the Ohio River and its major tributaries, but only small quantities are locally available in the rest of the area. Most of the soils are Udults.