The transition between the prairie of the Red River Valley and forest land is seen across Kittson

County. A sandy soil ridge traveling north-south through the center of the county marks the distinction
between the higher elevated eastern part of the county and the western portion. Black, rich soil that the
Red River Valley is famous for can be found moving toward the west. This rich soil is known to be
prime agricultural land, which means agriculture makes up a vast majority of the landscape.

In fact, as of the 2012 agriculture census, about 470,300 acres of Kittson County is cropland, or 83.2 %.
Woodland, pasture land and other uses make up the remaining 16.8 %.

Crops that can be seen around the county include wheat, soybeans, corn, sugarbeets, sunflowers,
potatoes, canola, barley and dry beans. There are also cattle, poultry, horses and other animals raised in
the county.

Kittson county ranks number two in Minnesota for oil sunflower production, three for spring wheat
production, five for barley production and seven for sugarbeet production. And just over a quarter of
employment in Kittson county is on the farm. That does not include occupations that are tied to
agriculture in the area.