“Campers get hands dirty on Portsmouth's student-run farm”

Students learn about sustainability, farming, problem-solving and more at AgInnovation Farm.

By Jim McGraw - East Bay RI

“If you’ve never seen pairs of underwear being harvested before, you’ve probably never visited the AgInnovation Farm at Cloverbud Ranch on Jepson Lane.

That’s right. Besides picking broccoli, Japanese eggplant, cherry tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, bell peppers, green beans and more from the student-run farm during summer camp on Tuesday, kids dug up three pairs of cotton briefs.

There was a good reason behind it all, as Kelly Hanks, an associate director of the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District (ERICD), which helps sponsor the camp, explained.

Sixty days ago, students buried three separate brand-new pairs of cotton briefs in different soil conditions on the farm — in the pollinator path, the micro clover field, and in the seasonal high tunnel.

The program, aptly named “Soil Your Undies Challenge,” was initiated by Oregon farmers and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service as a way of raising public interest in soil health.”

You can read the full story at East Bay RI.