Soil Testing Services

Generally we turn around samples in 24 hours. If samples are in the lab by 4:00PM they are generally available the following afternoon. All of our soil testing, nematode and spring nitrate test results are available online. Using your secure password you can login and see all of that season results from any computer that has an internet connection. You can print the results or download them for use in your GIS software.

From Field to Computer - How do we Analyze Soil? Lets look an imaginary sample and how it would go through the lab.

Our priorities are simple Quality before speed. We do not sacrifice quality for speed 

Step One: Processing the Sample (Wednesday @ 4:00PM)

The sample is either collect by one of our samplers or given directly to us by one of our customers. This sample is given a unique lab number. This number is locked with this sample permanently. This allows our LIMS (Lab Information Management System) to track this sample at any point in the testing process. It is also tied into our reporting methods, invoicing and billing. This program provides the backbone for lab operations. Without it, all of the information gathered would have to be dealt with by hand. This would surely lead to mistakes, either typographical or human error. With automated data input and calculation, these problems are avoided.

Step Two: Sample Drying (Put in the dryer Wednesday @ 5:00PM)

After being assigned a lab number, the sample is dried and ground. The drying process usually takes over-night and is done in small enclosed room with a furnace and fans. Slightly warmed air combined with circulating fans drives the moisture out of samples fairly quickly. The next morning the dryer is shut down and the samples are transferred to a grinding area.

Step Three: Sample Preparation (Thursday @ 4:00AM)

The dried is pulverized in a hammer mill grinder until the sample is a flour like consistency.

Step Four: Sample Scooping and Extrication (Thursday @ 8:00AM)

The dried, pulverized sample is carried through an extraction process. This allows for a fixed weight of soil to be added to a fixed volume of some type of extract. Each test performed has a specified extract. Below is a bottle rack with the extract pump ready for extract to be added. A phosphorus sample uses less than a pop bottle cap of soil for analysis. The extractant is added to the soil to extricate the nutrient for analysis.

Step Five: Sample Shaking (Thursday @ 8:30AM)

The soil with extractant is placed on a shaking device that mixes the soil and extractant into a mud slurry.

Step Six: Sample Filtering (Thursday @ 8:45AM)

Mud slurry mixture is taken off the shaker and poured into filters, similar to a coffee filter. This filters all of the soil out of the sample leaving only a clear liquid with the extracted element for testing.

Step Seven: Sample testing (Thursday @ 9:00AM)

Clear liquid is then tested according to the type of analysis we are testing for. In the case of Potassium the liquid is tested using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Step 4 - 7 are repeated for each element we are testing for with that sample. Some samples require additional steps according to their particular method.

Step Eight: Sample Reporting (Thursday @ 4:00PM)

After all the tests are run on that sample, the data is then imported back into the LIMS database for further processing. We can now calculate the recommendations and print reports. We also upload the data to the web site for viewing by you.