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OMAFRA soil test lab accreditation provides increased value
A new soil test lab accreditation program is now available from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, through six participating laboratories across Ontario.
April 10, 2008 By Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs
April 10, 2008
Stratford, ON -Soil test accreditation provides assurance to the farmers of Ontario, and to the public, that soil test labs are providing accurate analytical results to farmers. This provides the basis for responsible management of nutrients on agricultural land, so that applications of fertilizers and manure are both agronomically and environmentally sound. Accreditation covers soil tests for nitrate nitrogen, plant available phosphorus (sodium bicarbonate extractable), plant available potassium and magnesium (ammonium acetate extractable), zinc and manganese indexes, and soil pH and buffer pH.
To be accredited, labs must demonstrate that they can correctly analyze a series of nine samples over three months, and then continue to provide the correct analyses on quarterly exchange samples. In addition, they must have an acceptable internal quality control system, as well as adequate facilities and equipment to handle and analyze samples.
Accreditation does not cover the fertilizer recommendations made by agronomists working for the lab. However, with the accredited test you can use the tables in OMAFRA publications to determine your own fertilizer recommendations, if you so wish.
Forest Resources and Soil Testing (FoReST) Laboratory of Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, has met the requirements of the OMAFRA Soil Test Lab Accreditation Program, and joins the six soil test laboratories that are currently accredited by OMAFRA: Accutest Labs in Nepean; Agrifood Labs in Guelph; A&L Canada Laboratories in London; Brookside Laboratories in New Knoxville, Ohio; Stratford Agri Analysis in Stratford; and University of Guelph Laboratory Services. Contact information for each of these labs follows.
For further information, contact Keith Reid (519-271-9269 or email keith.reid@ontario.ca )
Accredited Labs in Ontario
A & L Canada Laboratories East, Inc.
2136 Jetstream Road
LONDON, Ontario N5V 3P5
Telephone: 519-457-2575 Fax: 519-457-2664
Contact: Mr. Greg Patterson/Ian McLachlin
Email: aginfo@al-labs-can.com
Web Site: www.al-labs-can.com
Accutest Laboratories
146 Colonnade Road, Unit #8
NEPEAN, Ontario K2E 7Y1
Telephone: 613-727-5692 Fax: 613-727-5222
Contact: Mrs. Lorna Wilson
Email: lwilson@accutestlabs.com
Web site: www.accutestlabs.com
Agri-Food Laboratories
503 Imperial Road, Unit #1
GUELPH, Ontario N1H 6T9
Telephone: 519-837-1600, 1-800-265-7175 Fax: 519-837-1242
Contact: Mr. Dale Cowan
Email: lab@agtest.com
Web site: www.agtest.com
Forest Resource & Soil Testing (FoReST) Laboratory
Lakehead University Centre for Analytical Services
955 Oliver Road
THUNDER BAY, Ontario P7B 5E1
Telephone: 807-343-8639
Contact: Mr. Joel Symonds
Email: soilslab@lakeheadu.ca
Stratford Agri Analysis Inc.
1131 Erie St., Box 760
STRATFORD, Ontario N5A 6W1
Telephone: 519-273-4411, 1-800-323-9089
Fax: 519-273-2163 Contact: Mr. Dale Peters/Mr. Keith Lemp
Email: laboratory@daconutrition.com
University of Guelph Laboratory Services
P.O.Box 3650, 95 Stone Road West
GUELPH, Ontario N1H 8J7
Contact: Mr. Nick Schrier
Telephone: 519-767-6299 Fax: 519-767-6240
Email: info@lsd.uoguelph.ca
