Abstract
Agricultural production system is under increasing pressure to provide low cost, high quality food and fiber while maintaining and preserving the environment. Potential environmental hazards of modern agricultural practices, decreasing profit margins, and rapidly degrading soil and water resources have been and continue to be a major concern. This chapter overviews the complex interaction between soil, crop and climate as they affect residue production and management under a variety of soil-crop-climate regimes across the United States. People need enhanced understanding of crop residue management from a site-specific scale to a national scale and to identify knowledge gaps that need further research to enhance technology transfer. This information will allow farmers to make intelligent decisions for enhanced and efficient food production while maintaining environmental quality. The quality of crop residue needs to be considered as much as the quantity of residue for soil erosion control.