Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) agents do a lot: from creating programs for 4-H Youth to organizing Master Gardeners to providing resources for farmers, to helping empower people to engage in their communities. With these programs come many tools, particularly tools to help us care for the soil and learn about soil health. Mike Parrish, Senior Extension Agent and Unit Coordinator for the Agriculture & Natural Resources at Virginia Cooperative Extension in Dinwiddie County Office, saw a creative opportunity to keep all these resources together –and make it mobile!

How It Started

Mike knows the value of visual and experiential learning. "When I [work with] interns, I always teach them the best thing you can do is [to] show your clients what you're talking about," said Mike. 

"You're digging, you're digging, pulling, pruning, whatever else, and showing [farmers and other soil health managers] the inside of the stems, inside of the roots, and proving to them this is what it is," he said.

Mike works with VCE agents and teams across the state, including with the organizers of the 4 The Soil initiative. 

Late in 2023, Eric Bendfelt, PhD, Senior Extension Specialist with Community Viability and Food Systems and visionary of the 4 The Soil initiative, asked the group what tools would be helpful when educating people about soil and soil health practices. Mike shared his checklist with Eric and then had an idea: "Instead of having it in boxes and it all gets separated, we should have a way to keep them together." 

And what better way to keep everything organized and accessible than in a box on wheels? 

Mike utilized the inside and outside of the trailer to share resources. He created the trailer wrap with a designer from Trophy and Sign Center based in Danville, Virginia. They collected images from various farms and community members, and each photo was selected to spark discussion about building soil health.

"If I'm at a field day and I can't plug in PowerPoint, I can walk over to the trailer and say, this photograph right here…is what this means," said Mike. The photos emphasize agriculture, he explained, "Everything from the soil all the way to the various crops that we grow." 

"It's very colorful," said Mike, "And it's got a young lady holding her four fingers up. So people ask me, 'What is she doing? Is she waving at us?' 'No,' I [say], Four fingers, for the soils. They go, 'Oh, I see it.'"

The trailer has become an educational conversation starter around Dinwiddie County. "It is going to be really such an added value to anybody's program or anybody's presentation," said Mike.

How It's Going

Inside the trailer are two banners with the 4 The Soil badge and colors, two rainfall simulators, soil structure tubes, measuring cups, soil probes, a penetrometer, tents, tables, fitted tablecloths for booths, and more.

Mike is passionate about providing opportunities for people to use these tools and learn about soil health. "There [are] a lot of things we can do to connect a lot of people who aren't in the loop. I think the trailer is just such a great way to show all of that thought behind it. This is a very serious collection of resources that is really valuable." 

In May 2025, Mike gave a tour of the trailer during a Soil Health In-Service Training in Blackstone, Virginia. The all-day interactive training empowered attendees to use different soil health demonstration resources in their work. Over 30 participants, including outreach professionals, practitioners, and master gardeners, learned about the tools within soil health kits, the weather center, and how the trailer can be an organizational tool and conversation starter.

Other soil health champions have continued to approach Mike about creating more trailers filled with educational gear, showing that the movement for soil health is growing across Virginia.

How It Can Keep Rolling

Mike's wheels continue to turn with more ideas, "If we invest in maybe some monitors, we [could have] more interactive stuff to show." 

People who work with Virginia Cooperative Extension, the Department of Conservation and Recreation, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service could potentially use the trailer in their programs. "[This trailer can] represent our cooperation," said Mike. "It's not just extension."

Mike hopes that creating the trailer will become a trend that other districts follow. If you would like to learn more about the making of the trailer, and perhaps create your own, please reach out to Mike at MParrish@vt.edu. 

We can all be #4TheSoil, for community resources!

Do you know a soil health champion or voice who makes learning fun and accessible? Nominate them to be featured on the 4 The Soil blog! Email Mary Sketch-Bryant, Director of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, at msketch2@vt.edu for details.