This past summer, we kicked off the “Soil Your T-Shirt” project, using simple cotton tees as a way to represent the scientific research into healthy soil happening across farms participating in Living Lab – New Brunswick. By planting T-shirts in the same parts of the fields where farmers are comparing different beneficial management practices—we aimed to see if we could visually measure differences in soil health across these plots. A degraded T-Shirt equals lots of bacterial activity , which is an indicator of healthy soil. While we didn’t find much variation, the results told an exciting story: all our T-shirts showed high degradation levels, indicating healthy soil and biological activity across our Living Lab farms!
Inspired by these results, we brought the project to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Fredericton Research and Development Centre, inviting students from a Grade 11 agriculture class in partnership with Agriculture in the Classroom. The students had the chance to dig up shirts from sites in a forested area, agriculture, and field plots, comparing degradation levels across these environments. In the laboratory, they have learned what soil health is about and how it is measured, all the while meeting researchers working in their element.
At Living Lab – New Brunswick, we’re dedicated to advancing soil health through the development and testing of beneficial management practices like managing fertilizer application, planting cover crops, reducing tillage, rotational grazing, and establishing pollinator strips. Each practice helps build soil that’s more resilient, nutrient-rich, and sustainable. Healthy soil doesn’t just break down T-shirts; it supports thriving crops, reduces pest pressures, and even sequesters carbon, making it a powerful ally in both agriculture and climate solutions.
Projects like “Soil Your T-Shirt” bring soil science to life, showing the tangible effects of sustainable practices. With each degraded T-shirt, we’re reminded of the foundational role that soil health plays in supporting a resilient, sustainable future for farming and a healthier planet.
