Commercial Soil Test Labs

 

Kansas State University has a service lab for soil, plant material and water nutrient analysis.   Sample delivery may be arranged through your local county Extension office or mailed or delivered directly.  Samples may also be mailed to the other commercial labs on this list.  Some labs may want the soil or plant samples to be air dried before sending, so call to find out prices, and how to send the sample.

 

KSU Soil Testing Laboratory 2308 Throckmorton Hall Manhattan, KS 66506 785-532-7897 garygri@bear.agron.ksu.edu  (Soil, plant tissue, water, including irrigation water)	SDK Laboratories (formerly Peterson’s) Hutchinson, KS 620-665-5661 (Soils, grain, forages, organo-phosphate screen, PCB’s (water only)
Servi-Tech Hastings, NE and Dodge City KS 620-227-7123        (Soils, feed, plant tissue, lime, water, sludge, manure, compost nematodes)	Olsen’s Agricultural Laboratory, Inc. McCook, NE 308-345-3670 (Soil, plant tissue, water, feed, fertilizer, manure, sludge, compost)
Midwest Laboratories, Inc. Omaha, NE 402-334-7779 (Soil, plant tissue, seed, fertilizer, manure, feed, water, pesticides)	Harris Agronomic Services Lincoln, NE 402-476-2811 (Soil, plant, water, pesticide residues)
A&L Heartland Laboratories, Inc. Atlantic, IA 712-243-6933    (Soils, plant tissue, manure, feed, pesticides, water, metals, microbiology)

 

  

Commercial Water Test Labs

 

Some of the previously mentioned labs conduct water tests, including tests for irrigation water quality, wastewater, some do pesticide screens and some also have fecal coliform testing capabilities.  For drinking water analysis, a lab must be state certified.  See the list below for labs currently certified in Kansas.

 

Note: For up to date information, check the KDHE website at www.kdhe.state.us/lipo.envlab summ022001.html, or see KSU Bulletin MF-951 at www.oznet.ksu.edu.

 

Since many of the water tests are only accurate if performed on fresh water (within 24 hours of sampling), it is a good idea to choose a lab near where you live, and take the samples there immediately after sampling.  Labs often supply sterile containers for coliform and E. coli samples, so call ahead to arrange to pick up containers.  Also, many labs will not take samples on Fridays, since the incubation time for coliform is 48 hours, so it is a good idea to call and find out the laboratory hours and arrange a time to drop off the sample, and to inquire about prices and test availability.

 

 

 

 

 

SOILS

 

Item	Number	Cost	Source
Lamotte kits -   pH                           N                           P                           K	60 30 40 30	68.00	Lamotte
Cone, filter paper, & stop watch  for infiltration test	2	21.50	KSU (filter paper $10.00, $ 1.50 for funnels, watch $10.00)
Metal ring for field infiltration test	2	0	KSU
Soil texture test	1	5.00	Lamotte/Wards
test tube brush	1	1.00	Wards
Organic matter test	10	~5.00	KSU (reagants)
Tool box	1	15.00	Local Hardware Store
Total cost		115.50

 

 

You Provide:

 

Item	Number	Cost	Used for:
Wooden 2 x 4, about 1-2’ long	1	0	for pounding in infiltrometer
Long knife or blade for cleaning the infiltrometer	1	0	use an old one from the kitchen
Jars or glasses for funnels to sit on for funnel infiltration test	2+	0	from the kitchen is fine
pint plastic bottle	1	0	for filling infiltrometer
plastic film or handiwrap			for infiltrometer

 

 

WATER

 

Item	Number	Cost	Source (cost per test)
pH strips	50	$ 9.00	Hach ($ 0.18)
Turbidity tube	1	$ 23.70	Lamotte (n.a.)
Armored, non-mercury thermometer	1	$ 18.75	Lamotte (n.a.)
Nitrate/nitrite test strips	50	$ 30.00	Hach ($ 0.60)
Ammonia test strips	50	$ 30.00	Hach ($ 0.60)
Phosphorus test	60	$ 64.00	Chemets ($ 1.07)
Petri-film for total coliform and E. coli, pipets	50 50	$ 70.00 $ 7.00	3M ($1.40) Wards ($ 0.14)
Quick swabs for food safety test	5	6.75	3M ($ 1.35)
Atrazine water test	2	$ 8.60	Silver Lake ($ 4.30)
Water scoop	1	24.00	Forestry Supply
Sample containers	25	0	KSU
Total Cost		$ 291.80

 

 

Comparison with Commercial Laboratories Prices

 

SOILS

 

Test	Number in kit and kit cost	KSU Soil Test Lab		Servi-Tech
		cost per test $	total $	cost per test $	total $
pH	60	2.00	120.00	4.75	285.00
nitrate + ammonia	30	3.00	90.00	10.75	322.50
phosphorus	40	2.00	80.00	4.50	180.00
potassium	30	2.00	60.00	4.75	142.50
field infiltration	~	N.A.		N.A.
cone infiltration	~	N.A.		N.A.
soil texture	~	6.00	60.00	15.00	150.00
soil organic matter	10	2.50	25.00	5.75	57.50
TOTAL	$ 115.50		$ 435.00		$ 1137.50

 

 

 

 

WATER

 

Test	Number in kit and kit cost	KSU Soil/Water Test Lab		M.D. Labs
		cost per test $	total $	cost per test $	total $
pH	50	2.00	100.00	5.00	250.00
Total Suspended Solids /Turbidity	50	6.00	300.00	10.00	500.00
Temperature	~	N.A.		N.A.
Nitrate	50	1.00	50.00	15.00	750.00
Nitrite	50	N.A.		15.00	750.00
Ammonia	50	1.00	50.00	15.00	750.00
Ortho-Phosphorus	60	2.00	120.00	15.00	900.00
Fecal Coliform	50	N.A. ($16.50 at Servi-Tech)	825.00	25.00	1250.00
Food safety	5	N.A.		N.A.
Atrazine	2	N.A. ($75.00 at Peterson’s)	$150.00	150.00	300.00
TOTAL	$ 291.80		$ 1595.00		$ 5450.00

 

 

 

 

SOURCE COMPANIES FOR KITS

(catalog item numbers given in italics)

 

3M Microbiology Products

3M Center, Building 275-5W-05

St. Paul, MN 55144-1000

1-800-328-1671

www:3M.com/microbiology

Email: microbiology@3M.com

These are the plates for the coliform and

E. coli bacteria:

6484 50 EC plates

6414 500 EC plates

6432 50 quick swabs (for surfaces)

6433 250 quick swabs (for surfaces)

 

CHEMetrics, Inc.

Route 28

Calverton, VA 20138-9850

1-800-356-3072

www.chemetrics.com

Email: prodinfo@chemetrics.com

K-8510 Ortho P kit

R-8510 Ortho P refill

A-8500 refill solution

 

Dionex Corporation

1228 Tital Way

P.O. Box 3603

Sunnyvale, CA 94088-3603

1-408-737-8522

www.dionex.com

056933 7 anion standard

046070 7 cation standard

 

Hach Company

P.O. Box 389

Loveland, CO 80539-0389

1-800-227-4224

www.hach.com

Email: orders@hach.com

27553-25 ammonia test strips

27454-25 nitrate/nitrite test strips

27456-50 pH test strips

713-749 500 ml bottles

713-765 1000 ml bottles

 

LaMotte Company

P.O. Box 329

802 Washington Ave.

Chestertown, MD 21620

1-800-344-3100

www.lamotte.com

5887 turbidity tube

1066 armored non-mercury thermometer

5934 EM for 30/60 soil tests (pH, N,P,K)

5679 EL for 15/30 soil tests (pH, N,P,K)

 

Silver Lake

P.O. Box 686

Monrovia, CA 91017

1-888-438-1942

www.silverlakeresearch.com

WS-289 Atrazine test kit

 

Ward's

P.O. Box 92912

Rochester, NY

14692-9012

1-800-962-2660

www.wardsci.com

21V 0211 water scoop w/ 3’ handle

21V 0212 water scoop w/6' handle

18W-274 plastic bottles

18W 2972 sterile pipets (500)