The first soil- testing laboratory in the State of Texas is in their 70th year of service to growers. The Texas Plant & Soil Lab, Inc. of Edinburg is internationally recognized as a leader in practical agricultural consulting. The Lab furnishes soil, water, and plant analyses. Recently named by several national publications such as ACRES U.S.A. for general agriculture and then for home gardeners and landscape professionals by the upscale NEW YORK publication TOWN & COUNTRY and AMERICAN HANDYMAN, a Readers Digest publication which referred to their uniquely more accurate method of soil testing with easy-to-understand interpretations and recommendations. They were also noted as leaders in soil fertility and plant nutrition for most crops as well as grasses used as turf on athletic fields, golf courses and especially forage crops.

Senior Consultant Conan Wood, a Valley native with 46 years of lab and 12 years farming experience leads TPSL's staff with over 219 combined years of servicing agriculture. They offer full service programs of field sampling, lab analysis, computer illustrations with detailed interpretations and recommendations of needed nutrients and practices for more profitable productions. Noel Garcia - Vice President/Chemist ; Richard D Ramirez - Lab Supervisor ; Ediel Cadena - Chief Chemist ; Sergio Gonzalez - Senior Technician-Fieldman ; & Norma Soto are highly capable members of the team serving growers.

With the cost-price squeeze on growers, the Lab's services are aiding many progressive growers to improve profits by supplying the right nutrients at the right time and in the right amounts; irrigation systems make this very practical as does foliar applications. This is especially cost effective as a season of lab services cost only one or two units of yields per acre, such as cartons of fruit or 200 lb/ac of watermelons, where yields and quality are improved by earlier harvests. Teamwork of Growers, Lab, Consultants, and Suppliers can get the most out of soil and plant fertility with minimum use of water from limited and/or poor quality water.