Salute to Idaho Agriculture: Feed and Fertilizer Lab

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The Idaho Department of Agriculture has a building on the College of Southern Idaho Campus that’s been in Twin Falls since 2012.

It houses two labs that help not only farms, but everyday Idahoans.

The Feed and Fertilizer lab is one of the two. If you’ve ever looked at a bag of pet food you’ve maybe noticed the guarantee.

“We look at the guaranteed analysis that companies put on their products, and we make sure that what they’re putting on their labels is actually inside their product,” said Principal Chemist Eduardo Maciel. This ensures that what the consumer is paying for is in fact in the product.

Feed and fertilizer are also sent in from farms around the state.

“These samples come in from inspectors all over the state. They’ll go to different parts of the state, take a sample, and send it in we’ll check the sample in and list what tests we need to do on it,” said Maciel. The lab only takes samples from investigators. They can’t be sent in or dropped off.

“We’ll take it to the lab and test whatever it needs it can be nitrogen, protein minerals whatever it needs to be tested for,” said Maciel.

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