By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. — Legislation amending the Illinois Fertilizer Act (SB 2010) – which would allow agriculture groups to implement best management practices for nutrient use and remove Fertilizer Research and Education Council dollars from the hands of the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) – was approved by the state Senate earlier this month.

The legislation, which would transfer fertilizer tonnage fees raised through the Council into a public-private partnership with IDOA, passed the full Senate April 14 and was immediately referred to the House Rules Committee.

“The U.S. EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is telling all of the states to enforce the Clean Water Act and set standards for nitrogen and phosphorous in streams. None of the states have (complied),” said Jean Payne, president of the Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Assoc. (IFCA).

The IFCA, along with leading Illinois ag commodity groups, would have a hand in implementing a preemptive long-term strategy to address water quality issues in lieu of EPA regulations if Amendment 1 to SB 2010 is passed.
“The rates (for allowable traces of N and P) EPA wants are so low that even if we never farmed another acre of land, we would still not meet them, because our soils naturally release N through mineralization,” Payne said.
IFCA, Illinois Farm Bureau, Illinois Corn Growers Assoc., Illinois Soybean Assoc. and other state agriculture groups began meetings with the Illinois EPA, IDOA and environmental groups to address the pressure IEPA was under to set restrictive water quality standards during the fall of 2010.

The long-term strategy set forth by the agricultural groups, at the heart of the amendment, is described by Payne and the IFCA as “a very proactive, aggressive approach to secure the future of our industry by creating a structure in which the industry, in partnership with our universities and other like-minded groups, supports new on-farm research, education and implementation of nutrient stewardship programs, to demonstrate our commitment to securing a future that includes fall application of nitrogen fertilizers and better overall management of nitrogen and phosphorous in a systematic approach.”

Moving control of tonnage fees collected by the Council to a public-private partnership would ensure the IDOA continues to provide oversight on the collection of the tonnage fees and the required tonnage reports, while the funds remain secured from the hands of legislators.

“In the past, the General Assembly has moved those funds into the general revenue fund and used them for other purposes,” Payne explained.
An IFCA legislative alert urging members and producers to contact their legislators and tell them to vote “yes” on the amendment to SB 2010 described the new “Nutrient Research and Education Council” that would be established with the amendment’s passage.

“If we are able to create a stable and secure funding mechanism for future fertilizer research education and implementation of best management practices for nutrient use, our industry will be in a leadership position when it comes to proactively addressing nutrient challenges in Illinois, with solutions that make sense for farmers and for the fertilizer industry,” the alert read.

“The new Nutrient Research & Education Council will be made up of voting representatives from the fertilizer industry, commodity organizations, agronomy organizations and the director of the Illinois Department of Ag.”

The IFCA is optimistic of the amendment’s chance of passage, according to Payne. A fact sheet on SB 2010 is posted on the IFCA website at www.ifca.com under “Legislation.”