Warren, N.J.-The head of the New Jersey Green Industries Council has endorsed a bill in the state legislature that would establish a model ordinance for towns to regulate residential and commercial fertilizer applications. “Assembly Bill 4193, sponsored by Assemblyman John Burzichelli, is a science-based bill that creates a consistent means that would replace what has been an often unscientific patchwork of municipal and county ordinances enacted over the past several years,” according to Nancy Sadlon, the council’s executive director. “In my position I have a keen professional interest in laws that impact turf management. As a New Jersey resident and homeowner, I have an equally passionate interest in the quality of New Jersey’s waterways. Enacting statewide legislative standards, which contribute to the common good of New Jersey’s 566 municipalities, makes uncommonly good sense for our citizens and our environment.” A4193 calls for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to consult with research scientists at Rutgers University Agricultural Experiment Station to identify and encourage best management practices. Burzichelli’s bill would prohibit applying phosphorus to turf grass unless a soil test shows it’s needed, set up no-fertilizer buffers around waterways, require fertilizer applicators to be certified, and ban fertilizing between Dec. 15 and Feb. 20, or anytime when the ground is frozen. Farming operations are not covered by the measure.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain