In the southeastern US climatic conditions favor long periods of plant growth.  This combined with intense rainfall and poor drainage provides idea conditions for the conversion of plant biomass into organic matter.  This study combines the results of field experiments designed to  examine crop management practices that favor the development of soil organic carbon and organic matter with an examination of the causes for the extreme variability in organic matter in the soils in the coastal regions of North Carolina in an attempt to identify key factors that enhance carbon sequestration in agricultural soils in the Southeastern US.