After weeks of watering, growing, experimenting - and even burying undies - the winners of the 2025 Let it Grow and Soil Your Undies challenges will be revealed at Agfest on 1 May, with $1400 in prizes up for grabs for Tasmanian schools.
Students at 37 schools from across the state have put their agricultural science skills to the test in a race to grow the heaviest black radish in just eleven weeks. Today, students will bring their prized radishes to the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) site at Agfest (at the University of Tasmania Pavilion) to be weighed ahead of an official awards ceremony.
As part of the fun, students also got their hands dirty in the Soil Your Undies Challenge by burying a pair of 100% cotton undies in their school gardens to test soil health. The more degraded the undies, the healthier the soil.
"The Let it Grow challenge aims to spark interest and excitement around careers in agriculture," said Dr Bianca Deans, Education and Work Integrated Learning Officer at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.
"By increasing awareness and engagement with agriculture and food industries, we hope to inspire students to pursue educational pathways and careers in these fields, addressing skill shortages and promoting sustainable agricultural practices for future generations."
"This is the third year that we've run the Let it Grow challenge, and it continues to grow in popularity, from seven schools taking part in 2023 to almost forty schools this year. It's wonderful to see so many schools taking an interest in agricultural science and talking about the opportunities for diverse and rewarding careers in this sector.
"Nationally, there's an average of six jobs for every graduate in agricultural science - so plenty of opportunities for our next generation!"
Let it Grow is proudly sponsored by the TAS Farm Innovation Hub, Horticultural and Landscape Supplies (HALS), and Seed Freaks.
Sandra Knowles, the Director of the TAS Farm Innovation Hub, highlighted that the Soil Your Undies Challenge offers a fun and engaging way to raise soil health awareness among school children.
"This initiative is deeply connected to climate resilience, as healthy soils are essential for mitigating the impacts of climate change and strengthening our ability to adapt to environmental challenges," she said.
