Hannah Dorn

Ward Laboratories, Inc.

Ward Laboratories, Inc. is an agriculture testing laboratory dedicated to serving farmers and ranchers. We specialize in testing soils, plants, feed, forages, water, manures, fertilizer and other special testing projects. Guiding Producers Today to Feed the World Tomorrow. Ward Laboratories was founded in June, 1983 when Ray and Jolene Ward relocated to Kearney, Nebraska and set up shop in a three-bay garage in a local industrial park. Six months later, they moved to their first 3,500 sq. ft. laboratory. Along with two employees, Ray and Jolene worked side-by-side as the nascent business grew. The first full year of operation (1984), Ward Laboratories analyzed just over 16,000 individual samples. They quickly outgrew the first location and moved the business to its current home in 1989. Steady growth over the next decade included adding feed, water, plant and manure analysis to the services offered. By 2000, the facility had grown to 15,000 sq. ft. and analyzed 130,000 samples from farmers, ranchers and homeowners throughout the Midwest. In 2015, Ward Laboratories cut the ribbon on another 16,900 sq. ft. addition to help process high volumes of samples while ensuring high-quality and accurate analytical results. Their customer based has grown to include samples from all over North America as well as Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. As the business has grown, Ward Laboratories continues to follow Ray and Jolene's founding principal to provide quality analytical results so customers can make informed decisions about their operations.