Missouri Soil Testing Association accreditation program

The Missouri Soil Testing Association Accreditation Program (MSTA) is designed to assure that results provided by participating public and private labs serving the citizens of Missouri agree with allowable statistical limits. Based on this premise, soil test results from MSTA-approved labs will be accepted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Farm Service Agency (FSA). Beginning in 1999, MSTA combined its efforts with the North American Proficiency Testing Program (NAPT). The NAPT coordinator sends soil test data from the labs participating in MSTA program to the state coordinator. The MU Soil Testing Lab director serves as the state program coordinator and performs statistical analysis of the data as specified in the MSTA program. If a lab's results fall within the allowable limits, the lab will be placed on the Farm Service Agency's (FSA) list of approved labs. A lab that is not accredited may re-apply after one year.

See list of approved labs below.

Approval procedures for MSTA labs

The labs that wish to participate in the MSTA program should send a formal written request to the director of the MU Soil Testing Lab. They also need to request the NAPT coordinator to release their results to the MSTA program coordinator by signing a "Missouri Release" form when they sign up for NAPT.

Participating labs must use procedures of the Missouri Soil Testing Program in current use as described in the University of Missouri Extension Guide Soil Testing in Missouri (EC923).

The lab will be approved for routine soil tests:

• Bray-I P; ammonium acetate extractable K, Ca, and Mg
• Organic matter
• pH in 0.01 M CaCl2
• Neutralizable acidity (using the Woodruff Buffer test)

Standard pH 7.0 and pH 4.0 buffers must be used to calibrate all pH meters.

It is suggested each laboratory set up two or more internal check samples. One of these checks should be included with each twenty or thirty soil samples. A log of the results of the check samples should be maintained.

The MSTA coordinator will receive results from the NAPT program coordinator on the recommended tests and do the statistical evaluation.

Approval criteria for MSTA labs

The MSTA program uses the median and median absolute deviation (MAD) as used by the NAPT program as robust estimations of central values and variances of all data sets. This statistical approach is less sensitive to influence of extreme values (outliers) than the mean and standard deviation. The MSTA summary report lists the median and MAD values and the lab data. If the lab's data falls outside the range of +2.5x MAD (it is marked as Low or High) and considered to be out of the allowable limit. If the lab data falls outside the limits of +3.5x MAD they are marked as outliers.

Test results of 75 percent of the samples must fall within the above allowable limits for each test. Upon meeting these criteria a letter will be sent to FSA to add the requesting lab to the list of approved labs in Missouri. If a lab doesn't meet the criteria to be approved, contact the MU Soil Testing Lab director for a second chance for approval by analyzing five unknown samples sent by the MSTA program.

Missouri state approved labs
July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023

Based on all four quarters of sample exchanges, 2021.

Missouri

• MU Soil and Plant Testing Lab
  University of Missouri
  23 Mumford Hall
  Columbia, MO 65211
  Phone: 573-882-3250
• Custom Ag Labs
  3068 State Hwy 37
  Monett, MO 65708
  Phone: 417-553-8510
• Perry Agricultural Lab
  PO Box 418
  State Highway 54 East
  Bowling Green, MO 63334
  Phone: 573-324-2931

Georgia

• Waters Agricultural Laboratories, Inc.
  257 Newton Highway, PO Box 382
  Camilla, GA 31730
  Phone: 229-336-7216

Illinois

• Ingram’s Soil Testing Center
  13343 Fitschen Rd
  Athens, IL 62613
  Phone: 217-636-7500
• Waypoint Analytical Illinois, Inc.
  2906 W. Clark Road
  Champaign, IL 61822
  Phone: 217-359-7680

Indiana

• A&L Great Lakes Laboratory, Inc.
  3505 Conestoga Drive
  Fort Wayne, IN 46808
  Phone: 260-483-4759

Iowa

• Ag Source Laboratories
  1532 Dewitt
  Ellsworth, IA 50075
  Phone: 515-836-4444
• Waypoint Analytical Iowa, Inc.
  111 Linn St.
  Atlantic, IA 50022
  Phone: 901-213-2400

Kentucky

• Waters Agricultural Laboratories, Inc.
  2101 Old Calhoun Road
  Owensboro, KY 42301
  Phone: 270-685-4039

Minnesota

• MVTL Laboratories Inc. – New Ulm
  1126 North Front St.
  New Ulm, MN 56073-0249
  Phone: 507-354-8517

Nebraska

• Midwest Laboratories, Inc.
  13611 B St.
  Omaha, NE 68144-3693
  Phone: 402-334-7770
• Ward Laboratories
  4007 Cherry Ave.
  PO Box 788
  Kearney, NE 68848
  Phone: 308-234-2418
• AgSource Laboratories
  300 Speedway Circle #2
  Lincoln, NE 68502
  Phone: 402-476-0300
• American Agricultural Laboratory, Inc
  700 W. D St.
  McCook, NE 69001
  Phone: 308-345-3670

Ohio

• Brookside Laboratories, Inc.
  200 White Mountain Drive
  New Bremen, OH 45869
  Phone: 419-977-2766
• Spectrum Analytical
  1087 Jamison Road
  PO Box 639
  Washington Court House, OH 43160
  Phone: 740-335-1562

Tennessee

• Waypoint Analytical, Inc.
  2790 Whitten Road
  Memphis, TN 38133
  Phone: 901-213-2400

Wisconsin

• Ag Source Cooperative Services
  106 N. Cecil St.
  PO Box 7
  Bonduel, WI 54107
  Phone: 715-758-2178