Crockett County students soil undies for science

ALAMO, Tenn. — It’s not every day that you dig up underwear. But at Crockett County Middle School, it’s becoming a seventh grade tradition.

“It’s kind of strange,” said student Wade Hall. “I’ve never heard of anybody that [has dug] up underwear.”

“When I got here and I heard we were digging up underwear, I was like…” Jensyn Rodgers said.

The “Soil Your Undies” program started in 2018 through the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Burying underwear is a way for farmers to test the microbes in soil, determining just how good the soil is.

“Back in December, we were challenged as a 4-H group to be the first in Tennessee to conduct this challenge,” said Tonya Bain, extension agent for 4-H Youth and Development in Crockett County. “And because I have such wonderful teachers here at the middle school, they were all about helping us get that accomplished.”

Five pairs of underwear were planted in different locations in Alamo to represent different soil types.

After 90 days, the dug up underwear were hung up in front of the school to showcase the surprising results.

“My mom once saw the underwear hanging up last year in front, like right there in that area, and she was really concerned about why she was seeing underwear with dirt on it in front of the school, so maybe I can actually tell her why she saw that now,” said seventh grader Kristopher Phillips.

Once again, the seventh graders are leaving the hallways and the classrooms empty taking class outside. All they need is a map leading them to the buried treasure.

The underwear came out dirty with plenty of holes — a sign of good soil.

All five pairs of underwear were planted in the same spots, however this time in the summer months, to see if temperature and moisture would affect the results.

After lots of digging, the Crockett County 4-H program and middle school teachers hope the students will walk away with more knowledge of agriculture.

“The ability to understand science and that learning can be fun, and why it is important to know what’s under your feet, to see what’s happening in the soil below us,” Bain said.

Once the Crockett County Middle Schoolers joined the challenge, middle schoolers across the state too are now soiling their undies.

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