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Home on the Range : Wyoming Department of Agriculture , Analytical Services Lab
by Nancy Maddox , MPH , writer
No US state has fewer residents than Wyoming ’ s 585,000 or so denizens . And few states can match Wyoming for the sheer majesty of its sites , such as Grand Teton National Park , Yellowstone National Park and Devils Tower National Monument .
Known variously as The Equality State ( being the first US jurisdiction to grant female suffrage ) and The Cowboy State , Wyoming occupies a large plateau , punctuated by the Rocky Mountains in the west and bedecked by the High Plains in the east .
“ We ’ re at 7,200 feet in altitude ,” said Teresa Jarvis , head of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture , Analytical Services Lab , in Laramie , “ so it ’ s just a harsh climate .”
While high-altitude weather complicates sample delivery to Jarvis ’ s staff , it is of less import for the state ’ s largest agricultural commodity : beef cattle and calves , which graze on vegetation in both mountains and grasslands . Nearly 80 % of Wyoming ’ s agricultural revenue comes from this one source — totaling half a billion dollars for cattle producers in 2008 and $ 1.6 billion a year in gross economic impact . Other important agricultural commodities are hay ( grown primarily for cattle feed ), barley , wheat , corn , sugar beets , sheep , hogs , horses and honeybees .
The Analytical Services Laboratory performs testing related to all of these .
Laboratory Scientist I Callie Wilson reads a gram stain on a culture from an environmental sponge submitted by a state meat plant . Photo : WDA
Part of its mission , for example , is to conduct chemical and bacteriological analyses to show that agricultural products manufactured , marketed or consumed in the state meet legal standards or label guarantees . Data generated for the public is intended to improve the profitability of production agriculture , confirm regulatory compliance , identify sources of pollution and more . The laboratory also administers Wyoming ’ s petroleum laws for refined fuel products , automotive antifreeze and natural gas .
Facility
The Analytical Services Laboratory occupies the second floor — about 12,000 square feet — of a two-story , redbrick building shared with the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory . Although the 1980sera building is owned by the University of Wyoming , it sits in an off-campus location in Laramie , about 50 miles from Cheyenne , the state capital and Wyoming ’ s most populous city . The BSL-2 facility is within sight of the Wyoming Territorial Prison Historic Site ( which once housed famed outlaw Butch Cassidy ) and the rugged peaks of Snowy Range .
Manager
Jarvis was born in Idaho and earned two bachelor ’ s degrees — in microbiology and medical technology — from Idaho State University in Pocatello . An internship at St . Luke ’ s Episcopal Hospital in Houston led to a microbiology position at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas , where Jarvis worked for five years . She left that position to become a laboratory scientist at St . Joseph Regional Health Center in Texas ’ s Brazos Valley region and was gradually promoted up the chain-of-command to the directorship . After 17-odd years in The Lone Star State , Jarvis moved to Wyoming where she became director of Dynacare Laboratories , a for-profit company that provided diagnostic laboratory services to
Cheyenne Regional Medical Center . She stayed with the laboratory after LabCorp bought it and after it was purchased by the medical center itself . In January 2014 , after 15 years of an hour-long commute over icy roads from Laramie to Cheyenne , Jarvis became manager of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Analytical Services Lab . Today , she said , “ I have a ten-minute commute .”
Staff
In addition to Jarvis , the laboratory employs seven full-time scientists , two support staff and a full-time quality assurance coordinator .
Revenue
The annual $ 1.2 million budget comes entirely from state general funds , channeled through the Wyoming Department of Agriculture . All fee-forservice revenue goes directly to the state .
Testing
The analytical services laboratory tests dozens of matrices — from milk to barley to sludge — for hundreds of compounds , elements , microorganisms and other contaminants . “ A lot of our data is to ensure compliance with government regulations and make sure our consumers are safe ,” said Jarvis . “ With animal feeds and fertilizers , we ’ re making sure customers are getting what they think are . And with antifreeze , we ’ re assuring it meets ASTM standards .”
A laboratory priority is animal health . Said Chemistry Supervisor Chris Jesse , “ We do some joint work with the vet lab occasionally . They may have dead animals , and we may be looking for forage or water contaminants that correspond to their diagnostic findings .” In addition , the lab performs fee-for-service analysis of harvested and environmental feed materials , measuring protein , fiber , moisture , total digestible nutrients ,
32 LAB MATTERS Summer 2018
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