DOSWELL—Bury your underwear today, and you might see it on display this fall at the State Fair of Virginia.

The Fluvanna County Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee is encouraging Virginians to participate in their “Soil Your Undies” challenge for a unique educational opportunity at the State Fair. The fair runs Sept. 26 through Oct. 5 at The Meadow Event Park in Caroline County.

The “Soil Your Undies” challenge was created in 2018 by Oregon farmers, their local soil and water conservation districts and the National Resources Conservation Service.

The Fluvanna women’s committee recently introduced the challenge to county residents—encouraging them to bury and dig up their underwear to display at the county fair this August. Now they’re bringing the fun to statewide participants to help educate fair visitors about soil health.

“We’re hoping to teach kids about the composition of the soil under their feet and why it’s important to take care of our soil,” explained committee member Cheryl Falvella.

“The soil under our feet is much more than just dirt,” added committee member Sandy Hopkins. “Healthy soil is vital to farmers as well as all plants, animals and humans.”

One teaspoon of healthy soil contains more microbes than there are people on the planet. These microbes break down organic matter like cotton while also helping soil retain nutrients and moisture.

To help showcase the decomposition process, Virginians are encouraged to grab a clean pair of underwear, socks or a T-shirt made of 100% cotton and bury them at least 4 inches deep in their yard, garden, barn lot or on a farm. Place a marker at the site and dig them up right before the State Fair—at least 60 days after burying for optimal soil health determination. Jot down some observations on a 3- by 5-inch card and note:

• Your name, address and location of planted item
• Color of the soil
• If there are visible worms, bugs, roots or other organisms
• The soil texture and smell (sticky, grainy, hard, soft, smelly, etc.)
• How deep and long your item was buried

To help illustrate the wide variety of soil types across the state, participants are encouraged to submit a sealed plastic bag with a soil sample to display with their entries.

Participants should mail their “soiled” garment, observation card and bagged soil sample in an envelope marked with their name and address to arrive at the fair no later than Monday, Sept. 22. Entries should be mailed to the Horticulture Department, State Fair of Virginia, P.O. Box #130, Doswell, VA 23047.

Entries also can be dropped off at the State Fair. All submissions will hang on a clothesline in the horticulture area during the fair’s run.

Individuals; agribusinesses; civic, church and commodity groups; 4-H and FFA chapters; schools; libraries; and youth sports teams are invited to participate in the educational challenge.

“We hope lots of folks will come ‘hang out’ with us at the State Fair!” Falvella quipped. “We’ve even had some requests from out-of-state friends to come ‘get dirty’ with us.”

Contact Kathryn Burruss, SFVA superintendent of horticulture, with any questions at 804-994-2856 or kburrusss@statefairva.org.

Media: Contact Falvella at 434-996-2438; Hopkins at 978-758-0604; or Sarah Jane Thomsen, SFVA manager of agriculture education and strategic partnerships programming, at 804-994-2743.