Soil-plant relations have been the focus of agricultural research for centuries yet the primary concentration has been on plant improvement for increased productively with little attention paid to the soil microbial community. Healthy soils are more productive due to the increased ability to tolerate stress thus requiring fewer inputs, retaining more soil moisture, and improving soil physical properties. Cover crops are not commonly utilized prior to soybean planting. Inconsistent soybean response too fertilizer and culture practices warrant examining alternative practices that may manipulate soil microbes. The long-term goal of this research is to build more resilience into cropping systems...