Water Samples

Total Coliforms

If analysis for total coliforms is being requested a sterilized sample bottle must be provided to the customer from North Border Analytics. The bottle will be shipped in a foam cooler. Water analyses that do not include a coliform analysis can be sampled and shipped following a different protocol. Upon receiving the provided sample bottle please use the following steps :

1. Ensure hands are thoroughly washed

2. Run water from tap (or other source) for 1 minute

3. Uncap bottle and place threads facing upward on counter

4. Fill bottle completely and cap without touching the inside of the cap (threads)

5. If sampling an environmental sample, for example a stock water pond, be sure to not disturb the bottom of the stream or pond, and avoid having particulate matter enter the sample

6. Upon filling the bottle to the neck, place cool packs or ice (within a sealed bag) into cooler along with the sample bottle

7. Complete the included form (pencil or waterproof ink) in its entirety and place back into the sealed bag it was delivered in within the cooler

8. The sample must arrive at North Border Analytics, within 30 hours of sample collection to be considered viable

9. Be sure coliform samples are mailed by Wednesday to ensure that the sample can be analyzed and results submitted to the customer by Friday

Routine Analysis (no coliform analysis)

1. Sample bottles will be shipped with a small amount of acid to preserve the sample in shipping

2. Fill out included form and specify the analyses being requested

3. If tap water is being collected, run water for 1 minute, and after that time fill bottle to the bottom of the neck

4. If an environmental sample is collected (stream or pond) do not disturb sediment on bottom of stream or pond prior to sampling, place hand over bottle, keep bottle upright to avoid acid touching skin, submerge bottle beneath water surface, and remove hand to fill bottle (try to minimize water from the surface from entering the sample)

5. Avoid having any vegetation or suspended particulates beyond water enter the sample as it can impact the accuracy of the results

6. Samples can be shipped in a flat rate box or protective envelope as the sample is preserved and having it shipped with ice is unnecessary

7. Place back in shipping container and the sample must arrive at North Border Analytics, LLC within 30 hours of collection

Soil Samples

If samples are being submitted they can be shipped within a sealed bag (paper lunch bag). A container provided by North Border Analytics is unnecessary. Please read proper sampling instructions below:

Soil Collection and Shipping Instructions

1. Prior to collecting soil samples clear any plant residues from the soil surface

2. Avoid sampling saturated soils, if you do, please allow them to dry in the open air (avoid sunlight) prior to shipping as soil with high moisture content will facilitate bacterial activity that can impact the nutrient content of the sample during shipping

3. Using a manual soil probe or shovel, collect a sample at a depth of 6-8 inches, however samples can be collected at greater depths depending on the customer’s needs

4. For small plots, i.e. home garden, randomly collect 5 samples, thoroughly mix the samples to form a composite, and set aside ~2 cups worth of to be shipped

5. For farm operations, typically 10 samples are collected and combined per 100 acres for analysis, however the samples submitted per acre is determined by the customer. Samples can be collected at a higher (10 samples per 75 acres) or lower frequency (10 samples per 150 acres), however the more acreage included per sample reduces the accuracy of the results and subsequent applications

6. After homogenizing the sample, spread out soil on a flat surface allowing it to air dry. The period of time to sufficiently dry the soils prior to shipping is 24-48 hours.  Shipping samples with elevated moisture will impact the accuracy of analytical results.

7. After drying the sample(s), place ~2 cups within a paper bag and complete the soil analysis form

8. Samples can be shipped with a standard carrier using a flat rate box that is of appropriate size for the number of samples being shipped

If you are located near Chinook or will be traveling through the area samples can be dropped off at the laboratory. If nobody is at the lab or you arrive outside of normal hours samples can be placed in a drop box next to the garage door.  The drop box will be checked daily, including weekends.

Forage and Plant Tissue

For customers interested in submitting forage and crop tissue samples for analysis please use the following instructions listed below:

For each forage or crop sample please include the following information for each sample:

-          Unique sample name to allow the customer to apply results to the appropriate area of field, hay lot, etc…..

-          Date and time sample collected

-          Analysis being requested

-          Customer Name

-          Customer phone number and e-mail (if regularly checked)

Forage, Plant Tissue, and Grain Sampling and Shipping Instructions:

Standing Forage

For standing forage please use the following guidelines:

**Note – Fresh/standing forage should be frozen for 12 hours within a paper bag.  Freezing forage samples prior to shipping minimizes the changes in analytical results that occur during the shipment period. Samples should remain within the paper bag and shipped in a container of the customer’s choice (i.e. cardboard or flat rate box).  Additionally, if shipping samples, choose a method that allows for fresh samples to ideally arrive at the laboratory within 2 days.  Please avoid having a samples delivered on a Friday as fresh forage samples are time sensitive to ensure the most accurate results.**

-    Alfalfa – sample alfalfa at harvest height, collect 10 samples per field, and place within a mixing bucket to composite the sample.  Place roughly ½ gallon of sample in a paper bag and follow the freezing instructions above. 

-    Grass – for standing grasses, cut or hand-pull the upper third of the grass.  The frequency of sampling is up to the customer, however consider the following suggestions:

o   Account for variability within a field, i.e. moisture content and visible differences in plant health

o   If sampling a flood irrigated field collect 10 randomly collected cuts or grabs of grass, mix all samples thoroughly, and place ~1/2 gallon of grass within a sealed plastic bag

o   Avoid sampling areas that exhibit poor health as this may skew data

o   If grass being tested is within a grazing area (or dry land produced grass) and will not be harvested the samples collected per acre is up to the customer’s discretion.  It is suggested that 10 randomly grabbed samples are collected, composited, and placed in a sample bag per 50 acres.  For example, if sampling 200 acres of grasses, it would be advised to collect 4 sub-samples (10 grabs samples would be composited per 50 acres) and submit for analysis.  As mentioned, the customer can collect samples at a higher or lower frequency depending upon their budget or need.  It is advised for customers to sample and isolate areas of fields that are of concern (low quality, signs of disease, etc.) to avoid impacting the overall results.  For example, if a 125 acre field has an area of ~25 acres containing marginal quality grass, please submit a sample representing the marginal section, and submit a sample representing the remaining 100 acres producing a “higher quality” forage.

-     Other standing forage – follow the sampling frequency and compositing as mentioned for the alfalfa and grass.  Additionally, sample the upper third of the forage that is being submitted for analysis

Hay

Irrespective of the type of forage that is being stored in bales, the following protocol is suggested to achieve accurate results:

-     ~10% of bales should be sampled per lot.  A “lot” is defined as hay harvested from within the same field.  For example, if a single irrigated field has two cuts of hay and the bales from each cut are stacked separately this would be considered two lots. 

-     For round bales, use a hay probe and collect a single core from the round portion of the bale

o   Randomly select bales within the lot to sample to represent ~10% of the bales

o   Composite the core samples into a single representative sample

o   Place ~1/2 gallon of hay within a sealable plastic bag to ship for analysis

-     For square bales, use a hay probe and sample one end of each of the randomly selected bales within the lot.

o   Composite, allocate samples, and ship in the same method as for round bales

-     If a probe tool is unavailable a grab sample is sufficient.  Irrespective of sample method, follow the same randomization and sampling frequency to the best of your ability.  If possible, avoid having grab samples be comprised completely of the outer layer of the bale as it may not be representative of the bale in its entirety.  Keep in mind that hay probes are sampling at a depth of 24-36” when collecting a manual grab sample.

Haylage

If haylage has been baled follow the above procedures listed within the above “Hay” section

Wheat/Barley Tissue Nitrogen Analysis

Prior to applying nitrogen for operations implementing split application techniques it is often suggested that having the wheat tissue analyzed to assess nitrogen demand for 2 reasons:

1.  Better ensure that nitrogen demands are met throughout the remainder of the growing season

2.  Potentially avoid over-applying nitrogen, i.e. the soils are providing more available nitrogen than expected, therefore less can be applied

To tissue sample:

Standing Forage

-     Irrespective of tissue type, samples should be placed into a paper bag and shipped.  Do not ship within sealed plastic containers or metal as they hold moisture and can cause reductions in nitrogen during shipping

-     Sampling is different depending upon the state of growth for wheat and barley

o   3-4 leaf (seedling) - collect whole plant, 50-100 plants per field

o   Tillering, Jointing, and Booting – collect top 3-4 leaves from 50-100 plants per field

o   Early heading (hard red wheat N only) – collect flag leaf from 50-100 plants per field

Nitrate Analysis

Please follow the below instructions when collecting samples for nitrate analysis:

Standing Forage:

-     Irrespective of forage type collect all plant tissue at height at which it is harvested

-     Due to extreme variability in nitrate content within a field collect minimally 15 plants, cut each plant into 1-3 inch lengths, and composite all cut samples in a single mixing container (i.e. 5 gallon bucket)

-     Set aside ~1/2 gallon of sample to air dry for 24 hours prior to sampling

-     Place samples into a paper bag to be shipped.  Avoid using plastic bags as they can retain moisture, reducing the nitrate content within plant tissues and giving un underestimate of nitrate content

Silage:

-     Collect random grab samples when unloading silage

-     Grab samples can be collected if stored within a silo or wrapped in plastic storage.  Please be sure to randomize your collection of silage in a way that you feel gives you a representative idea as to the nitrate content of your stored silage

Pasture

-     Nitrate content be highly variable within pastures, similar to that of cultivated forage.  Collecting plant tissues from 15-20 locations throughout the pasture is typically sufficient

-     If portions of a pasture typically experience reduced grazing, it will be worthwhile to sample these areas separately to assess whether nitrate toxicity is a possible cause as livestock exhibit preferential grazing, with one cause being nitrate levels.

-     Once samples are collected, please cut samples to reduce their length by 1/3 so that the 15-20 samples can be composited within a 5 gallon bucket to create a sample representative of the pasture or area of concern

-     Air dry samples for 24 hours

-     Upon drying the sample, place ~1/2 gallon of sample in a paper bag to than be shipped within a container of the customer’s choice (flat rate box or protective envelope will suffice).