The MDAR held a stakeholders meeting to discuss Plant Nutrient Regulations on March 25, 2015 in Westborough. Here is the message from our new MDAR Commissioner Lebeaux. There is a Plant Nutrient Regulation draft, which is not available to the public yet, but will be made available for stakeholder review and public comment before it goes to Governor Baker for signing. They would not commit to a date. Important to verbally note:

• U MA (Mary Owen) has been actively involved in the rewrite. They're current attention is classification of bio-solids. 
• There are no exemptions from regulation, neither applicators nor plant nutrient products.
• Mineral and organic plant nutrient products must be applied at BMP rates for N P K.
• Organic class products will get one state approved application per year at a maximum .rate of .25 lb P. 
• All application dates have been removed. Applicators must abide by growing conditions and BMP limits. 
• Professional applicators MUST keep electronic or written records of fertilizer applications for three years.
• Local Plant Nutrient bylaws, which have been approved by the state, (not recommendations) will be the maximum per-application and per-annual limits for all applicators in the jurisdiction to abide.
• No local authority can regulate pesticides, this is exclusive to MDAR.

Thank you,

Rick Lawlor, CGCS

Vice President, GCSACC