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Highlands Today

Fertilizer Best Management Practices outreach education

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Special to Highlands Today

Published: August 16, 2009

SEBRING - Fertilizer runoff is a major contributor to water quality degradation throughout Florida. The haphazard use of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers in lawns, landscapes and golf courses has been implicated as a pollutant of major water bodies.

To regulate the use of these fertilizers, Gov. Charlie Crist signed SB 494 into law on June 18, 2009. This Florida statute mandates all commercial fertilizer applicators to have a FDACS BMP license by Jan. 1, 2014. All commercial applicators must participate in the GI-BMP training and pass a corresponding test, or an approved equivalent to obtain the specific license.

Pursuant to this objective, Highlands County Extension Service will serve as a conduit for enabling the educational process. Specific trainings for professionals engaged in fertilizer and landscape management geared to pass the course, Best Management Practices for the Florida Green Industries (BMPs), will be conducted at the Bert J. Harris Jr. Agricultural Center, starting Sept. 8.

The Highlands County BMP training initiative will consist of five, one-hour presentations complimented by a pre-class test, a post-class test, a voluntary class evaluation and an annual follow-up survey of prior attendees.

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