Analytical Laboratories Serving Oregon

Commercial growers, gardeners, and homeowners use soil, plant, and water analyses to help them make decisions about the use of soil amendments and other management actions. Home- and business owners may also wish to test drinking water quality. In this guide, you will find a list of laboratories serving Oregon along with specific information about their laboratory services.

To compile this list, the authors requested information directly from laboratory managers. Neither Oregon State University nor the OSU Extension Service makes any endorsement by listing a laboratory, nor does omission of a laboratory indicate anything about the quality of its services. You can find other sources of laboratory services with an internet search or in the yellow pages.

Using a nutrient management guide

Many growers use a crop-specific, OSU Extension Service nutrient management guide that states exactly which testing protocols formed the basis of its fertilization recommendation. To follow the nutrient management guide’s recommendation correctly, choose a lab that uses the same testing protocols. The results from an extraction method other than the one cited in the nutrient management guide may produce a different or unsupported fertilizer recommendation.

To make sure you can use your analytical lab results:

• Sample to the same depth or use the same plant part specified in the nutrient management guide.

• Make a composite sample from the recommended number of subsamples.

• Sample at the recommended time of year.

• Request the same analytical method that is stated in the nutrient management guide.

You can find nutrient management guides in the OSU Extension Service Catalog at https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/

Sampling for farms and gardens

Soil condition and plant stages vary depending on the season, their geographic location, or their position in the landscape. The usefulness of your lab results will vary depending on when, where, and how you collect the sample. See the OSU Extension Service publication, A Guide to Collecting Soil Samples for Farms and Gardens (EC 628) for more details. Local Extension faculty can also confirm that you are following standard sampling procedures.

If your main concern is to understand why plants don’t grow in a certain area, a soil or plant nutrient analysis might not answer all of your questions. It is recommended that you work with your local Extension faculty to assess potential barriers and develop a plan to resolve plant performance issues.

Testing for contaminants

Many people are concerned that plants, soils, and water have been contaminated with heavy metals. While many labs analyze for these contaminants, different methods produce different results. If your concern is environmental health, look for a certified lab that uses the methods similar to the standards set by health and safety regulations. You can find more detail about these methods, standards, and regulations in Reducing Lead Hazard in Gardens and Play Areas (EC 1616).

This publication’s list of labs includes services related to the overall health of the environment. The level of testing and services provided within each category varies between labs. Confirm that the lab you are interested in can give you the results you seek.

Many plant production and environmental problems are interrelated. Quality analytical results can improve management decisions, environmental conditions—and your economic bottom line. You can find details for well-water sampling and interpretation of well-water analyses in the Water Well Owner’s Handbook, A guide to water wells in Oregon (Oregon Health Authority).

Before you submit a sample

Consult your local OSU Extension Service faculty before you submit samples to a laboratory. They can help assure that the analysis you request will give you the information to support your management decisions.

Before submitting any sample, call the lab or visit the website for specifics about costs and payment, shipping instructions, the methods used for analysis, and their average turn-around time for results. Confirm that the lab contact understands what kind of decisions you want to make from your test results. This will ensure that you get the highest quality information from your investment.

Analytic labs can be accredited by professional organizations or participate in proficiency testing programs specific to the types of tests they perform. If you have questions about the accreditation of any laboratory, be sure to ask before submitting your samples.

Services by laboratory

Detailed services are numbered 1 through 16. The key describing the services represented by each number is below the chart.

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