2023 Colorado Revised Statutes › Title 35 - AGRICULTURE (§§ 35-1-101 — 35-81-102) › FERTILIZERS (§§ 35-12-101 — 35-13-109) › Article 12 - COMMERCIAL FERTILIZERS AND SOIL CONDITIONERS (§§ 35-12-101 — 35-12-120) › Section 35-12-103 - Definitions

As used in this article 12, unless the context otherwise requires:
(1)
"Availability" means the immediate potential property of a plant nutrient to be utilized by a plant and have agronomic value when used according to directions.
(2)
"Bulk fertilizer", "bulk soil conditioner", or "bulk plant amendment" means a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, or plant amendment, respectively, distributed in nonpackaged form or in a container containing more than one hundred pounds.
(3)
"Commercial fertilizer" means a fertilizer or other substance containing one or more essential available plant nutrients that is distributed for its plant nutrient content and is designed for use and has value in promoting plant growth. "Commercial fertilizer" does not include untreated manures, compost and treated manure distributed without commercial fertilizer labeling, soil conditioners, plant amendments, and other products exempted by rule of the commissioner.
(4)
"Commission" means the state agricultural commission.
(5)
"Commissioner" means the commissioner of agriculture of Colorado or the commissioner's authorized agent.
(6)
"Compost" means a substance, derived from a process of biologically degrading organic materials, that contains one or more essential available plant nutrients and complies with the minimum standards specified by rule of the commissioner that regulate compost.
(7)
"Custom mix" means a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, or plant amendment prepared expressly for, and according to specifications furnished by, a customer prior to mixing.
(8)
"Department" means the Colorado department of agriculture and includes the state agricultural commission, the commissioner of agriculture, and all employees and agents of the department.
(9)
"Distribute" means to import, consign, sell, offer to sell, barter, or otherwise supply a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, plant amendment, compost, or manure, for use in or shipment to this state.
(10)
"Distributor" means any person who distributes a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, plant amendment, compost, or manure.
(11)
"Essential" means necessary for the maintenance and growth of plants.
(12)
"Fertilizer" means a substance or product that contains one or more essential available plant nutrients.
(13)
"Grade" means the percentage of total nitrogen, available phosphate, and soluble potash in the same terms, order, and percentages as in the guaranteed analysis.
(14)
(a)
"Guaranteed analysis" means the minimum percentage of plant nutrients claimed in the following order and form:
Total Nitrogen (N) percent
Available Phosphate (P
2
O
5
) percent
Soluble Potash (K
2
O) percent
(b)
Guarantees for plant nutrients, other than nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, may be permitted or required by rule of the commissioner. The guarantees for these other nutrients shall be expressed in the form, availability, and minimum quantity of the element set by rule. The sources of nutrients, salts, chelates, and similar compounds are required to be stated on the application for registration and may be included as a parenthetical statement on the label.
(c)
Guaranteed analysis of a custom mix may appear as in paragraph (a) of this subsection (14) or may include the net weight and guaranteed analysis of each plant nutrient or fertilizer in the mix.
(15)
"Investigational allowance" means an allowance for variations inherent in the taking, preparation, and analysis of an official sample of commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, or plant amendment.
(16)
"Label" means the display of all written, printed, or graphic matter on the immediate container of, or a statement accompanying, a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, plant amendment, compost, or manure.
(17)
"Labeling" means all written, printed, graphic, or verbal information on, accompanying, or used in promoting any commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, plant amendment, compost, or manure, including advertisements, brochures, and posters and television, radio, and internet announcements.
(18)
"Manufacturing facility" means any place where a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, plant amendment, or compost is manufactured, produced, compounded, mixed, blended, or in any way altered chemically or physically. Mobile units shall be considered a part of the manufacturing facility where the units are based.
(19)
"Manure" means animal or vegetable manure and includes treated and untreated manure.
(20)
"Official sample" means any sample of commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, plant amendment, compost, or manure that is taken and designated as "official" by the department.
(21)
"Packaged fertilizer", "packaged soil conditioner", or "packaged plant amendment" means a commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, or plant amendment, respectively, that is distributed in a closed container and contains one hundred pounds or less of the commercial fertilizer, soil conditioner, or plant amendment.
(22)
"Percent" or "percentage" means the percentage by weight.
(23)
"Plant amendment and soil conditioner guaranteed analysis" means the percentage of each of the ingredients.
(24)
"Plant amendments" means any devices or substances applied to the soil, plants, or seeds that are intended to improve germination, growth, yield, product quality, reproduction, flavor, or other desirable characteristics of plants. "Plant amendments" does not include commercial fertilizers, soil amendments, untreated manures, pesticides, plant regulators, compost and treated manures that are distributed without plant amendment labeling, or other materials exempted by rules promulgated by the commissioner.
(25)
"Plant nutrients" means those chemical or organic forms of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P
2
O
5
), potassium (K
2
O), other secondary and micronutrients, calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S), boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), or zinc (Zn) that are absorbed by crops and are essential to the plants.
(26)
"Product" means a commercial fertilizer, plant amendment, or soil conditioner in the form in which it is intended to be distributed. For the purposes of this article, a product that differs from another product in the name of the product, composition, labeling claims or directions for use, grade, or guaranteed analysis shall be considered a separate product that requires its own registration.
(27)
"Registrant" means a person who is registered or is required to be registered to manufacture or distribute commercial fertilizers, soil conditioners, plant amendments, or compost under the provisions of this article.
(28)
"Sewage sludge, sewage effluents, and biosolids" means all materials resulting from domestic wastewater treatment that contain concentrations of organic or inorganic materials.
(29)
"Soil conditioner" means a substance, defined by rule of the commissioner, intended to improve the chemical or physical characteristics of the soil that is sold, offered for sale, or intended for sale. It does not include commercial fertilizers, plant amendments, untreated manures, compost and treated manures that are distributed without soil conditioner labeling claims, or any other materials that may be exempted by rule of the commissioner. Soil conditioners may be sold in package or in bulk.
(30)
"Specialty fertilizer" means a commercial fertilizer distributed primarily for nonfarm use, such as home gardens, lawns, shrubbery, flowers, golf courses, parks, and cemeteries.
(31)
"Ton" means a net weight of two thousand pounds avoirdupois.
(32)
"Treated manures" means substances composed primarily of excreta, plant or animal material, sewage sludge, sewage effluents, and biosolids, or mixtures of such substances that have been treated in any manner, including mechanical drying, grinding, pelleting, or other means, or by adding other chemicals or substances.
(33)
"Untreated manures" means substances composed primarily of excreta, plant remains, or mixtures of such substances that have not been treated in any manner, including mechanical drying, grinding, pelleting, or other means, or by adding other chemicals or substances.
Amended by 2019 Ch. 267,§ 1, eff. 5/23/2019.
L. 71: R&RE, p. 133, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 6-13-3. L. 77: Entire section R&RE, p. 1581, § 2, effective July 1. L. 96: (2), (16)(a)(I), (16)(b), and (20) amended, p. 101, § 1, effective March 20. L. 2008: Entire article amended, p. 1608, § 1, effective August 5. L. 2019: IP and (30) amended, (HB 19-1329), ch. 2513, p. 2513, § 1, effective May 23.
Section 3 of chapter 267 (HB 19-1329), Session Laws of Colorado 2019, provides that the act changing this section applies to sales occurring prior to, on, or after May 23, 2019.