| Weld Laboratories has been a member of the National Forage Testing Association (NFTA) since 1986. We have been continuously certified in wet chemistry since 1986 and certified in NIR analysis since 1999, the year we began offering NIR. The certification program for the NFTA requires participants to accurately analyze six proficiency samples each year. We are one of only 22 laboratories nationwide that are certified in both wet chemistry and NIR. In addition to being certified by the NFTA, one of our chemists is currently on the NFTA Board of Directors, serving as Vice President.
Weld Labs joined the NIRS Consortium in 2002. This consortium is made up of professionals from both the industrial and academic fields who work together to offer new advances in NIR analysis. As a member of the NIRS Consortium we had the opportunity to procure calibration equations for alfalfa and corn silage that offer a wider array of analytes and more reliable calculations. For example, the old corn silage equation we used would report a TDN value calculated only from the ADF value. The new corn silage equation reports lignin, ash, dNDF48, and fat in addition to the analytes the old equation reported. These new variables allow for the TDN to be calculated using a much more accurate equation, the Wiess equation. In addition to being a Consortium member, one of our chemists is also on the Board of Directors. |