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, 2021 to June 30, 2022
Based on all four quarters of sample exchanges, 2020.
Missouri
- MU Soil and Plant Testing Lab
University of Missouri
23 Mumford Hall
Columbia, MO 65211
Telephone: 573-882-3250 - Perry Agricultural Lab
PO Box 418
State Highway 54 East
Bowling Green, MO 63334
Telephone: 573-324-2931
Fax: 573-324-5558 - Custom Laboratory, Inc.
3068 State Highway 37
Monett, MO 65708
Telephone: 417-553-8510
Illinois
- Ingrams Soil Testing Center
13343 Fitschen Road
Athens, IL 62613
Telephone: 217-636-7500
Fax: 217-636-7500 - Waypoint Analytical Illinois, Inc.
2906 W. Clark Road
Champaign, IL 61822
Telephone: 217-359-7680
Indiana
- A&L Great Lakes Laboratory, Inc.
3505 Conestoga Drive
Fort Wayne, IN 46808
Telephone: 260-483-4759
Fax: 260-483-5274
Iowa
- Ag Source Laboratories
1532 Dewitt
Ellsworth, IA 50075
Telephone: 515-836-4444
Fax: 515-836-4541 - Waypoint Analytical Iowa, Inc.
111 Linn St.
Atlantic, IA 50022
Telephone: 901-213-2400
Fax: 901-213-2440 - Solum, Inc.
615 S. Bell Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
Telephone: 515-505-1036
Minnesota
- MVTL Laboratories Inc. – New Ulm
1126 North Front St.
New Ulm, MN 56073-0249
Telephone: 507-354-8517
Fax: 507-359-2890
Nebraska
- Midwest Laboratories, Inc.
13611 B St.
Omaha, NE 68144-3693
Telephone: 402-334-7770
Fax: 402-334-9121 - Ward Laboratories
4007 Cherry Ave.
PO Box 788
Kearney, NE 68848
Telephone: 308-234-2418
Fax: 308-234-1940 - AgSource Laboratories
300 Speedway Circle #2
Lincoln, NE 68502
Telephone: 402-476-0300
Fax: 402-476-0302 - American Agricultural Laboratory, Inc
210 East First Street
PO Box 370
McCook, NE 69001
Telephone: 308-345-3670
Fax: 308-345-7880
Ohio
- Brookside Laboratories, Inc.
200 White Mountain Drive
New Bremen, OH 45869
Telephone: 419-977-2766
Fax: 419-977-2767 - Spectrum Analytical
1087 Jamison Road
PO Box 639
Washington Court House, OH 43160
Telephone: 740-335-1562
Fax: 740-335-1104
Tennessee
- Waypoint Analytical, Inc.
2790 Whitten Road
Memphis, TN 38133
Telephone: 901-213-2400
Fax: 901-213-2440
Wisconsin
- Ag Source Cooperative Services
106 N. Cecil St.
PO Box 7
Bonduel, WI 54107
Telephone: 715-758-2178
Fax: 715-758-2620