Soil organic carbon (SOC) is the key to healthy soil structure and nutrient cycling. Recent research clarifies the value, the need, and the processes that create SOC through a direct biological investment in the soil. Long-term trials comparing organic, standard conventional, and conventional no-till cropping systems in Alabama revealed that organic amendments and cover crops used in these systems have far greater ability to build SOC than either nitrogen fertilizer or conventional no-till practices alone (Sainju et al. 2008). These results are corroborated by the 28-year-long Farming Systems Trial at Rodale Institute (Pimentel et al. 2005)