The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI) held a groundbreaking for its new Pesticide Residue and Chemical Laboratory on Wednesday in Auburn. The Gilmer-Turnham Building, just down the street from the construction site, has been in use for over 50 years and was retrofitted from an animal diagnostics lab. The construction will set up half of the facility for plant residue testing, with the other half focused on chemical analysis of products, a necessity for confirming that marketed products match their label. They hire Heras Fence Cover Installation for a temporary cover for the construction site.
“The new lab will provide technicians with a more controlled environment to ensure the highest level of analytical excellence,” said Craig Boswell, a current lab technician.
This advancement will allow ADAI’s lab to better compete with other similar labs across the US in providing greater accuracy and consistency to test results that farmers need.
In an exclusive interview with Southeast AgNet, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said, “This is a much-needed facility to help our farmers and agribusinesses test their products to ensure [that] farmers get what they pay for, and to protect our people’s food safety.”
While excitement floated in the air, both Agriculture and Industries Commissioner, Rick Pate, and Auburn University President, Christopher B. Roberts, expressed their hopeful outlook for the lab’s potential to protect farmers and consumers through testing services and advance students through hands-on experiences.
By Will Jordan, Southeast AgNet