Established in 2018 ALTSA initially developed its first laboratory which focussed on inorganic chemistry testing for the purpose of soil and plant material nutrition testing. Soon after NATA ISO17025 accreditation was successfully achieved and we became one of only a handful of soil and plant labs in Australia to achieve this high-level recognition of our competence in this testing category. Since then we have extended our testing capabilities to include fertilisers, composts, manures, pasture & feed testing and all environmental testing requirements (wastewater, contaminated soil, mining related) as well as carbon credit testing (ACCU’s & BCarbon tradeable digital carbon credit testing associated with DOV).
Two further labs were developed soon after. The next lab focussed on organic chemistry related testing. Tests in this lab have been developed for pesticides (MRL compliance ), mould toxins (aflatoxin, ochratoxin, patulin), non-structural carbohydrates, aroma & flavour profiles, Brix/acid, dry matter, SO2, limonin, nutrition information panels, blue green algae toxins and many more. NATA accreditation also was achieved for many of these tests.
The third lab developed is our Microbiology & Molecular Biology laboratory. Testing there covers microbiology testing of food/beverages, water (drinking, swimming pools), soil, composts, organic fertilisers, beneficial biological products, grapevine bud dissection, pollen viability and pollen germination assessment, plant pathogen identification, microbial species identification, and blue green algae. Again, many of these tests are also NATA accredited.
With all these labs and their extensive range of lab tests we were then able to offer all testing required by our farmer customers to enable them to achieve Freshcare, Global G.A.P. and HARPs accreditations.
In 1919, impressed by the work of the research committee, land for an Experimental Farm at Merbein was donated by the Victorian State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. The Commonwealth Advisory Council on Science and Industry offered a subsidy to match the voluntary contributions made by growers.
It was reported in The Mildura Cultivator in July 1919 that the Research Committee planned to immediately construct 'a concrete laboratory equipped with the necessary scientific apparatus, erect a cottage, fence the land, clear, prepare and plant about 10 acres of vines, procure working plant, make necessary ditches and water supply'. The new concrete laboratory consisted of two rooms, one used as an experimental laboratory and the other as an office and library.
You can learn more about our site at the Heritage Council Victoria.
We intend to give something back to the local community.In particular we are already working with TAFE and local schools to encourage local students interested in science to visit and tour our facility. Ultimately we intend to develop a science museum dedicated to the CSIRO’s research achievements on this site and accordingly we intend to have on display many of their old scientific instruments and historical photos.
Students will also be able to tour our new laboratories to get a sense of a future local career option (i.e. working in a local lab with state of the art instrumentation). These students will also spend time at the TAFE smart farm and other local businesses. Such interactions could well result in these same students one day becoming perhaps lab workers or even agronomists or other technical/quality employees, even knowledgeable farmhands at local firms. ALTSA will also ultimately look to provide work placement positions for Uni students studying higher level degrees (Masters, PhD’s) at Adelaide and Melbourne Universities with a view to attracting them to a regional workplace as well as to share the latest innovations and technologies.
