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WELCOME TO THE 
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY SEED LABORATORY

Welcome to the OSU Seed Laboratory, one of the oldest, continuously operating seed laboratories in the USA. The lab was established in 1909 as a cooperative Oregon-USDA seed testing laboratory to serve the Pacific Northwest and California. In 1954, responsibility for the lab was transferred to the Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, OSU, where it remains today. The laboratory has had three homes, all at Oregon State University. It started out in a small room in Ag Hall, where it remained until 1945. Through efforts of the Oregon Seed Growers League, the lab then moved into three Quonset huts. On November 29, 1989 the lab moved into the current modern facility on Campus Way.
The Oregon State University Seed Laboratory is a vital part of the OSU Seed Services Program, which also includes Seed Certification, and Foundation Seeds. Seed testing services focus on evaluating many seed quality factors that are critical for seed production, cleaning, certification, labeling, marketing, end users, researchers, and extension programs. As part of a leading university, the Seed Lab also contributes in seed research, educational activities, and workshops.

Currently, the OSU Seed Lab is one of the largest seed laboratories in the US, equipped with modern equipment and facilities including greenhouse and 30 qualified staff. Approximately, 30,000 tests are conducted at the OSU Seed Lab every year on commercial, certification, research, and official samples from Oregon and other states. The rich diversity of seeds tested, combined with the years of specialized testing service, has contributed to the expertise of this laboratory.

We strive to remain at the cutting edge of seed testing technology via:

o Listening and responding to customer needs.
o Research to develop new testing methods
o Ongoing analyst proficiency development.
o State of the art database and application programs
o Effective quality management system.

 
     
 

OSU Seed Laboratory

Corvallis, Oregon 97331-3801

Phone: (541) 737-4464

Fax: (541) 737-2126

Email: seedlab@oscs.oregonstate.edu

 
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