Farmers worldwide are using cotton underpants to test soil quality. Burying them for a few months, healthy soil decomposes the cotton, while lifeless soil leaves the underwear intact. This unconventional method helps farmers improve crop growth and animal nutrition.
Agricultural organizations around the world are coming to the conclusion that a pair of cotton underpants can tell farmers a lot about the quality of their soil. From the UK to California, farmers are trying this unconventional method, burying the underpants in their fields and digging them up a couple of months later. Healthy soil, full of microbes and bacteria, will eat away at the cotton, leaving just the girdle. In the lifeless soil, the dug up underwear comes out intact.
Underwear goes underground:
Evan Wiig, executive director of the California Farmers’ Guild, explained that “cotton is an organic material and it decomposes naturally, just like anything else you would put in your compost pile.”
Soil conditions in cattle and sheep farms directly influence the growth of herbaceous and forage crops. In turn, this affects the quality of the feed they produce. Better nutrition leads to stronger animals.
Scottish farmer Iain Green has buried underwear on his 2,800-acre farm since September 2017 and says the findings have provided valuable insights.
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