LANSING - As spring planting season draws near, the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) is reminding farmers that all farms with bulk liquid fertilizer storage are required to meet state bulk storage rules in accordance with the August 2008 phase-in deadline.

“Containment can be thought of as insurance with environmental benefits,” said Ken Rauscher, MDA’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director. “Accidents happen, and in the event of a tank or valve failure, the cost of containment pays for itself. Containment allows producers to recover the product, prevent groundwater and other environmental contamination, and avoid the expensive clean-up costs associated with losing thousands of gallons of liquid fertilizer.”

To be compliant with state law, any farm with bulk fertilizer storage must have these three key components in place:
• Containment;
• A mixing/loading pad or closed mixing/loading system;
• An emergency management plan.

Penalties of up to $1,000 per violation exist for farms that do not comply.

“We’re finding that many fertilizer dealers and retailers are not filling farm tanks unless they have containment,” said Rauscher. “These businesses do not want the liability of filling an uncontained tank in the event of a spill.”

Regulation 642, On Farm Fertilizer Bulk Storage, addresses the storage and handling of bulk liquid fertilizer on farms. Farms storing bulk liquid fertilizer in tanks with a capacity greater than 2,500 gallons and farms that have multiple tanks with a combined capacity over 7,500 gallons are impacted.

In Michigan, similar bulk storage rules have been in place since October 1999 for commercial fertilizer facilities. Uniform standards for both the commercial and private sectors is one example of how Michigan agriculture is working to ensure safe and secure product storage and to protect Michigan’s surface and groundwater resources.

Additional information, including a summary sheet, list of containment references, and a copy of Regulation 642, is available at www.michigan.gov/mda-bulkstorage or contact April Hunt, Fertilizer and Bulk Storage Manager, at (517) 241-2979 or HuntA9@michigan.gov.