Technical Abstract: Cropping systems throughout the world are characterized by variable climate and soils resulting in a high-risk condition for agricultural producers. Such a context defines the Great Plains of North America particularly well, as the region's agricultural economy is known for periods of instability due to extreme variability in precipitation and seasonal temperatures. Development of cropping systems that are resilient to these climatic extremes has been, and continues to be, a major challenge to agriculturists in the region. The sustainability of cropping systems in highly variable environments is affected by management approaches to select and sequence crops over time. At a very basic level, crops can be sequenced in a consistent, unchanging pattern, thereby reflecting a fixed-sequence cropping system. To increase responsiveness to externalities, opportunity/flex cropping systems can be used. To maximize adaptability to environmental conditions and/or market opportunities, dynamic cropping systems are recommended. A symposium entitled 'Dynamic Cropping Systems for Soil and Water Conservation' was held at the 2005 ASA-CSSA-SSSA annual meetings in Salt Lake City, Utah. The focus of the symposium was to present research results from a crop by crop-residue matrix experiment conducted from 2002 to 2005 near Mandan, ND. Papers included in the symposium described short-term crop sequence effects on crop production, plant diseases, soil residue coverage, and soil water depletion. The compilation was concluded with a paper reviewing potential contributions of dynamic cropping systems in meeting future resource challenges. The symposium sought to extend a series of previous symposia focused on dryland cropping systems in the Great Plains of North America.