Field and Lab Services

Soil Chemistry & Fertility

Analysis of macro (nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium) and micronutrient (ex. manganese, zinc, and copper) are common analytical requests amongst producers and analyses of each are provided by North Border Analytics, LLC. Additionally, measures of soil cations (calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium) provide data to quantify the soils ability to bind crop available nutrients. Monitoring soil pH is becoming of increasing importance with soil acidity becoming more frequent throughout central and north central Montana. Please visit the “Analysis Pricing” page to observe the full list of soil analyses currently offered.

Soil fertility generally describes assessments of the living and formerly living components of soil which play a critical role in making nutrients available to plants, nutrient binding, and crop yield. North Border Analytics can quantify soil bacteria and fungi, total organic matter, soluble (available) organic carbon, and soil respiration rates. Each of the aforementioned analyses provide producers a means to assess the potential improvements within soil as resulting from changes in soil management practices.

Water Chemistry

The analysis of drinking water, whether for human or livestock consumption, can be of concern throughout northern Montana. Analysis of dissolved nutrients such as nitrate or orthophosphate can provide individuals with information whether drinking water must be treated further, or identify the cause of harmful algal blooms being observed within surface water on your property.

North Border Analytics offers a full suite of ion analyses, dissolved nutrients, total dissolved solids, pH, lead, and fecal coliform counts. Comprehensive analyses are offered to provide customers with information to gain home loan approval, test well/municipal water quality, ensure livestock water is palatable/safe, or monitor surface water quality within streams and ponds on your property. The combination analyses offer a cost-effective means to assess water quality metrics as opposed to selecting individual analytes.

Forage and Grain Analysis

Quantifying numerous metrics of forage quality and health provides ranch owners/managers or nutritionists critical data when determining its market price or developing accurate winter feed rations.

Prior to cutting hay , grazing stubble or unharvested (hail damage or poor yield) crop fields we encourage producers to contact us to have their forage tested for nitrate content. We offer a rapid turnaround for nitrate tests (<36 hours after sample arrives at laboratory) to meet tight deadlines that are inherent with forage cutting or grazing rotations.

Both laboratory and in-field analysis of forage are options for producers working with North Border Analytics, LLC. We have incorporated Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectroscopy into our chosen methods to provide accurate and high throughput results to our customers. Depending upon the needs of a customer, we can provide the following metrics of forage quality: dry matter (moisture), starch, crude protein, ADF, NDF, ash, crude fat, RFV, RFQ, NEl, NEg, and NEm. Each of the following metrics can be assessed in the laboratory or we can provide customers data in real-time by visiting your operation and assessing standing forage (pre-harvest) or directly from bales using mobile NIR technology. Taking advantage of our mobile analysis means that you will be provided immediate data and full reports can be mailed to you later that day. Whether samples are assessed in the laboratory or in the field North Border Analytics has the ability to measure all forages used throughout Montana.

North Border Analytics can also provide farm owners/managers with data regarding protein content of wheat/barley, both pre and post harvest. Additionally, for operations that incorporate split applications of nitrogen, we can assess nitrogen content of standing wheat/barley tissue to determine accurate growing season nitrogen application rates. By incorporating mapping software into our in-field NIR plant tissue nitrogen analysis, we can provide producers with GPS references maps that show tissue nitrogen content on a field-scale. North Border Analytics can map plant tissue nitrogen throughout your operation in the morning and you can be applying nitrogen accordingly that afternoon!

If your operation is beginning to incorporate manure as your crop nutrient source we can analyze manures for nutrient content to calculate manure application rates. Additionally, we intend to have hemp analysis available to customers by Fall 2020, we will keep you updated with this service and its availability!

Soil Sampling

In order to provide year round soil sampling, we have employed an auger style soil probe (Big John Manufacturing Co. Speedy Sampler) mounted on a UTV. The auger style probe allows us to collect soil samples year round as the auger system allows frozen soils to be collected to a depth of 36”. Depending on snow and road conditions, we will offer soil sample collection and analysis all year. Having the ability to collect soil sample year round affords producers the opportunity to have soil data well before spring fertilizer application occurs which allows producers to complete pre-planting applications during the narrow windows of time that exist and can reduce stress associated waiting for soil data to be reported back during periods of high sample submissions to laboratories. It’s important to highlight the winter sampling option, however we offer soil collection upon request irrespective of the time of year and our incorporation of a UTV for field sample collection is to minimize soil compaction and damage to crops when sampling during the growing season. Although we offer soil collection, we accept soil samples through mail delivery whether shipped from the producer themselves, agronomist, extension agent, or any other entity. North Border Analytics is also happy to pick up samples at a pre-determined location if notified. This is a service that is unique to many laboratories and is established to improve ease of access to our services.

Forage and crop analysis

As mentioned in the previous section, we offer in-field NIR analysis of crop and forage tissues to provide real-time data to producers. This allows a rapid turn-around of data to allow customers to make harvest, application, and marketing decisions in a more timely manner.

If a customer is in need of sample collection and analysis on a routine basis a sampling schedule can be developed where a North Border Analytics employee will be in charge of collecting samples at pre-determined locations and results will be submitted to the customer upon analysis of the sample.

North Border Analytics, LLC owner Brian Grebliunas, has extensive experience in establishing research designs and protocols in field settings.

Agriculture

Prior to implementing changes to crop production operation wide (irrigation, fertilizer application, pulse/cover crops, soil inoculations, etc.) it is advised that test plots are established to assess how changes may impact productivity from field to field. For no charge, Brian will sit down with you to develop test plot design, location, sampling regime, and data interpretation. It is also encouraged that if an operation has not calibrated soil data to crop yield that this process is implemented to optimize application rates relative to end of season yield. This is to ensure that data provided are as accurate as possible with the considerable variation that exists when accounting for crop type, soil type, organic material available, and a host of other factors impacting end of season yield/quality. These services are complementary when using the analytical services provided by North Border Analytics.

Environmental

Dr. Grebliunas’ degrees (M.S. and Ph.D) are in the field of agricultural biogeochemistry. Simply put, he has developed a knowledge base to study and explain how nutrients within soil and water interact to impact plant productivity and the cycling of nutrients within agricultural soils and receiving waterways. Whether an individual farm/ranch operation, watershed organization, etc. would like to, for example improve stream or stock water quality by implementing new conservation techniques, North Border Analytics can assist in developing management plans and provide the relevant analyses to monitor improvements in soil health and water quality. As with agricultural services, developing management plans is a complementary service when using the analytical services offered by the laboratory.