Procficiency programs such as NAPT and MAP offer laboratories a way to monitor themselves relative to their peers. PAP is a grading system that allows a laboratory to do analyses for some organizations if they pass. There are benefits/strengths to NAPT, PAP and MAP as well as weaknesses. The emergence of the NRCS into nutrient management regulation has placed different preseures on a laboratory than previously existed. In the past a laboratory could exist on precision now however precision and accuracy are required. Lack of accuracy could have been used to a competitive advantage in the past; "I have a special brew for your soil..." Because soil tests are being evaluated on a state, regional and even a national level this type of divergence is more difficult in the laboratory industry. Is this good or bad? That is one of the discussion points we will talk about today