Question
An old organic gardener taught me how to use chicken manure and grass clippings to make fertilizer and grass clipping mulch suitable for Florida soil (basically sand).  My problem is (and I've asked FL Ag and Ext with no response) is there a simple and inexpensive was to detect if a load of grass clippings from a landscaper has pesticide residue?  I don't need to know what - just if there is any.  One would think that a chemical presence would show up and that officials who certify stuff organic would have such a method but I've had no response.  Nothing else works so well to get the soil (sand) to accept moisture as grass clippings and they break down into nitrogen and compost.  If you can help, I could have a decent garden again.  THANKS!

Answer
The only way of being sure is to have the soil or plant tissues tested.  You can test these  by sending a sample to:   http://www.al-labs-plains.com/index.html  They are inexpensive and will give you a complete soil analysis.  A&L Plains Agricultural Laboratory, Inc. Lubbock, TX 79408-1590 (806) 763-4278

I would call them and talk to them about what you would like to test.  They are very helpful and friendly.