Analytical Laboratory Bureau
What we do:
Provide expert, economical and timely analytical results for the department's feed, fertilizer and pesticide programs and for the Montana State University Agriculture Experiment Station.
Operating under an agreement between the Department and the Montana State University Agriculture Experiment Station enables the Analytical Laboratory to reduce operating costs by sharing the facility, personnel, equipment and operations.
Farmers, ranchers, state and federal agencies, the public and researchers of the Montana University System receive analytical services on a fee basis by the MSU Agriculture Experiment Station laboratory.
The laboratory also:
- Conducts pesticide residue analyses in support of misuse investigations (~200 samples/yr).
- Conducts pesticide analyses to monitor for the presence of residues
in groundwater and surface water
(~500 samples/yr) - Analyzes a variety of animal feeds for nutritional components to verify label claims (~350 samples/yr).
- Analyzes a variety of animal feeds for prohibited materials (~115 samples/yr).
- Analyzes a variety of fertilizers for nutritional components to verify label claims (~250 samples/yr).
- Tests fertilizers for trace non-nutritive metals in fertilizers such as arsenic, cadmium and lead (~35 samples/yr)
- Uses methods from AOAC, industry, published journal methods and in-house validated procedures.
- Maintains a comprehensive Quality Control and Quality Assurance program to ensure excellence in data quality.
- Participates in National Proficiency testing programs to demonstrate lab competency (~30 samples/yr).
- Works continually to maintain and improve analytical capabilities.
- Maintains a cooperative agreement with USDA to analyze water samples for the Pesticide Data Program Water Monitoring Survey (~750 samples/yr)
- Provides consultations to the public, farmers, ranchers, researchers, and agriculture business regarding agricultural testing services (~500 /yr)
