What does the Research Analytical Laboratory do?
The Research Analytical Laboratory serves university researchers, government agencies, and other public service groups. We provide inorganic chemical analysis for soil, water, feeds, foods, compost, plant or animal tissue, and many other types of materials.
Can the general public use the RAL?
The services of the Resarch Analytical laboratory are generally only available to University researchers and government agencies. Call for special situations. For soil fertility analysis of lawn, garden, and farm field soil samples, as well as greenhouse and florist testing, please visit the Soil Testing Laboratory‘s Web page. The services of the Soil Testing Laboratory are available to the general public as well as to researchers.
Does the RAL prepare samples for analysis?
We can do all of the work necessary to prepare your samples for analysis. If you are only interested in elemental analysis by ICP (Inductively Coupled Plasma), you have the option of doing the sample preparation yourself.
What about Quality Control?
The Research Analytical Laboratory uses many techniques to provide Quality Control/Quality Assurance. See our Quality Assurance page for more information.
What type of equipment does the RAL have?
The RAL uses a variety of equipment to perform analyses (See our Equipment page for more information). Many of the analyses that we perform are certified by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.