John Breker Appointed to NAPT Oversight Committee
This article originally appeared in the AGVISE Laboratories Spring 2023 Newsletter
John Breker was appointed to the North American Proficiency Testing Program Oversight Committee as the North Central Region representative, starting in January 2023. The North American Proficiency Testing (NAPT) Program assists soil, plant, and water laboratories with quality control and quality assurance through inter-laboratory sample exchanges as well as statistical evaluation of the analytical data. These tools help laboratories generate accurate and precise analyses, as well as provide confidence to clients that their data meets high standards.
The NAPT program guidelines have been developed for the agricultural laboratory industry by groups involved with standardizing soil and plant analysis methods in the United States and Canada. The program is authorized through the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) and administered by the NAPT Oversight Committee, composed of representatives from regional soil and plant analysis workgroups, state/provincial departments of
agriculture, and private and public soil and plant analysis laboratories.
AGVISE Laboratories has been a member of the NAPT program since its inception. AGVISE Laboratories in Benson, MN and Northwood, ND participate in the soil, plant, and water programs through NAPT, as well as the Performance Assessment Program (PAP) required for participation in USDA-NRCS programs. AGVISE is a strong supporter of NAPT and the ongoing objectives of the NAPT program.
NAPT Program Objectives
- Provide an external quality assurance program for agricultural laboratories
- Develop a framework for long-term improvement of quality assurance for the agricultural laboratory industry
- Identify the variability of specific methods