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Kasich signs water nutrient legislation

Gov. John Kasich has signed legislation into law that requires anyone who applies commercial fertilizer on 50 acres or more to be certified by the state.

Starting in 2017, those applying fertilizer must be certified by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. ODA has said the certification classes will be offered as soon as possible. Both the House and Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 150.

Over the past couple of years, Ohio's agriculture industry has worked with state lawmakers and state agencies to address problems associated with nutrients entering Ohio's waterways, which have caused harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie and Grand Lake St. Marys. Farmers have acknowledged that phosphorus runoff has contributed to the problem and have started using 4R Stewardship: using the Right source of nutrients at the Right rate and Right time in the Right place.

The new law also gives farmers a voluntary affirmative defense option if they meet specific criteria, including operating under a “voluntary nutrient management plan.”

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2 Comments

Bob Sunderman   on Wednesday 05/28/2014 at 08:46 AM

What penalties are in place for those who apply without certification, or those who are certified, but don't follow the guidelines? Who monitors or spot checks to see if the certified applicators are following the guidelines?

Chris Henney   on Wednesday 05/28/2014 at 01:05 PM

Bob - Now that the legislation has passed, the rulemaking process will begin. The items you bring up below will have to be addressed in the rules. OABA has been diligent through the process and will continue to be active in this new phase of rule drafting.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the comments shown above are those of the individual comment authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of this organization.