Technical Abstract: As part of a new Area-wide Ecologically Based Invasive Plant Management (EBIPM) project through the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, we are seeking the answers to what is the difference between soils that have never been cultivated and those that were dry farmed historically. The Area-wide EBIPM is a multi-state, interagency, collaborative program with universities and private property owners to research and demonstrate the use of ecological principles to combat invasive plants (www.ebipm.org). Data collection on differences between dry-farmed lands and adjacent un-farmed areas began in summer 2009. We look forward to reporting on how these studies help us better understand land-use legacies so that management practices for agencies and private land owners can be improved.