In this 2018 PFI Short Course presentation, Dr. Gwyn Beattie, professor of bacteriology at Iowa State University, talks about diverse ways in which microbes help plants, including helping them acquire nutrients and defend against pathogens, pests and environmental stresses. Her talk also provide perspectives on strategies for capturing microbial benefits, including the growing field of microbial products for agriculture and how knowledge of agricultural microbiomes may lead to management approaches and plant genotypes that optimize these microbial benefits.