(A) The director of agriculture shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that do all of the following:

(1) Create a fertilizer applicator certification program pursuant to section 905.321 of the Revised Code that does all of the following:

(a) Educates an applicant for certification on the time, place, form, amount, handling, and application of fertilizer;

(b) Serves as a component of a comprehensive state nutrient reduction strategy addressing all sources of relevant nutrients;

(c) Supports generally practical and economically feasible best management practices.

(2) Establish all of the following concerning certifications that are required by section 905.321 of the Revised Code:

(a) The amount of the fee that must be submitted with an application for certification, if applicable, provided that the fee shall not exceed the fee established in rules adopted under section 921.16 of the Revised Code for a private pesticide applicator license issued under section 921.11 of the Revised Code;

(b) Information that must be included with an application for certification;

(c) Procedures for the issuance, renewal, and denial of certifications;

(d) Grounds for the denial of certifications;

(e) Requirements and procedures governing training that must be successfully completed in order for a person to be certified;

(f) Requirements for the maintenance of records by a person that is certified, including, but not limited to, the date of application of fertilizer, the place of application of fertilizer, the rate of application of fertilizer, an analysis of the fertilizer, and the name of the person applying the fertilizer. The rules shall stipulate that the records shall be maintained for not more than three years from the date of the fertilizer application and shall not be required to be submitted to the director or the director's designee, but shall be made available to the director or the director's designee for review upon request.

(3) Establish requirements and procedures with which a licensee or registrant must comply when filing an annual tonnage report under section 905.36 of the Revised Code, including the date on which the report must be filed.

(B) The director may adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code that do all of the following:

(1) Establish criteria in accordance with which a person may be exempt from any training that is required in order to be certified under section 905.321 of the Revised Code;

(2) Specify any type of cultivation that is to be excluded from the definition of "agricultural production";

(3) Define "under the instructions and control" for the purpose of section 905.321 of the Revised Code.

Added by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 150, §1, eff. 8/21/2014.

Related Legislative Provision: See 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 150, §4.