Technical Abstract: This editorial introduces a special issue of the journal dealing with soil management in the Great Plains. Five of the papers in this issue are the result of a multi-location study comparing traditional and alternative management practices at eight locations in the Great Plains, two of the papers compare profitability and energy costs among cropping practices. A review of the book ‘Managing Soil Quality – Challenges in Modern Agriculture’ concludes the special issue. Results presented describe improvements in soil function resulting from crop rotation and reduced incidence of tillage, introduce assessment tools for comparing soil function among contrasting management practices or monitoring the effect of soil management on soil function over time, validate several analytical methods related to important soil functions, and pose directions for future research.