North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>]

Getting through the bureaucracy, finding someone who will do home samples as opposed to business, driving out, there, parking, walking, taking time off to do so, the fact that they recommend private labs outside of the U, and there are fees for everything in CA universities, often more than private companies charge... UCD may be the best option, but the $20 lab sounds easier, and more likely to be open during winter break (at the moment, the greatest impediment to reaching the right people).  It looks, so far, like I’d pay more going through a university, plus the drive, parking, and walking a distance carrying a bag of dirt...

 

It’s not at all that I wouldn’t use them, though.  I had just wanted to hear any experiences of things like University tests vs. private.  CSU Sacramento is another option, although it’s not as aggie as it used to be.  And state services, as I’m  in the capital of an ag-industry-heavy state.  But, living here, I’m also familiar with the bureaucratic mazes and unexpected fees one can face.   There are also so many services for large farms, that a home gardener’s needs can get lost. 

 

~ Stephen

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Alan Haigh
Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 4:10 AM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] soil testing

 

Stephen and all, my business has me working different soils in hundreds of locations and believe me, this is an intimate relationship.  My wife routinely threatens me with divorce for all the dirt I drag into the house- blond hairs she ignores.  Nevertheless, the only debilitating issues I ever encounter are drainage and insufficient depth of soil so I'm far from expert on having soil tested for contaminants.  I just use the basic acid extractions to get fertilizer recs. which I reinterpret to my own perspective and methods.

 

I'm curious why you'd go to private companies for this kind of analysis instead of using the facilities at UC Davis, which I'd guess would generally be significantly less expensive because they are subsidized by taxpayer money.