It’s a great way, they say, for local farmers and gardeners to test the health of their soil

Across the nation and in a few countries outside of the U.S., soiling your underwear is gaining momentum. But not in the way you might think. 

As part of the national Soil Your Undies Challenge, agricultural producers and gardeners are burying 100 percent undyed cotton underwear to test soil health.

Cotton, being a food source for soil microbes, will degrade over time if the soil is healthy. So the Clackamas Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is encouraging farmers and gardeners to participate in the local Cotton Brief Challenge, which is part of the national campaign. Participants will bury the cotton briefs 6-8 inches deep — in the soil’s root zone — and wait two months to dig them up. If the underwear isn’t significantly degraded, then changes need to be made to ensure soil health.