Madison-Gov. Jim Doyle signed into law April 14 a bill that prohibits the statewide use of phosphates in lawn fertilizers. However, the bill allows use on first-year lawns and in areas with phosphate-poor soils. The bill takes effect in the spring of 2010. Farm fields will be exempt from the ban. The ban also does not include the use of animal manure, which can be high in phosphate, and biosolids produced from sewage sludge. Phosphate fertilizer will continue to be available from stores, but retailers will not be allowed to display the product and must post signs to let customers know it’s available.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain