Boise-The Idaho Department of Agriculture will have in place July 1 a system to keep track of all bulk fertilizer facilities in the state. The registration requirement was the main part of two bills enacted by the Idaho Legislature and signed March 17 by Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter. The measures also increase fees for product registration and various inspection programs, and raise the cost of licenses for nurseries, landscapers, and importers. “Over the years we’ve been contacted by the Federal Bureau of Inspection and Homeland Security, both asking for a list of where fertilizer facilities are located,” commented Michael Cooper, deputy administrator of the plant industries division. “We couldn’t answer their questions.” He said legislation directs that a registration system be established to develop an inventory of all facilities that handle or store fertilizers in bulk. An annual fee of $100 per facility will be assessed to handle the cost. Cooper said the changes were recommended to the legislature by a committee of fertilizer industry advisers.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain