Minnesota Crop Production Retailers

Welcome!

Our Mission: “MCPR exists to promote the proper use, storage and application of crop production inputs in an environmentally safe and agronomically sound manner; and to support regulatory and legislative initiatives which benefit retailers, manufacturers, distributors and custom applicators of crop production inputs.”

CAUTION - Industrial Stormwater Permit Information
The MPCA recently sent MN Retailers a letter and permit form which must be completed and submitted along with the new annual $400 permit fee if Industrial Stormwater permit rules apply to your firm.You should NOT complete this form without reading the MCPR fact sheet which you can access by clicking here.To fail to heed our advice could cost the uninformed MCPR member an additional $7500!

Order the 2008 MSDS Book for your facility.
MCPR invites you to review and consider the following special offer available exclusively through our affiliation with the Asmark Institute. There are many good sources of Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for pesticides; however the unusual or hard-to-get items such as oxygen, acetylene, fuels, fertilizers, welding rods, micronutrients, paints, grain treatments, spray additives and cleaning supplies typically make maintaining a current MSDS File a real chore. The 2008 MSDS Manual, published by the Asmark Institute, is designed especially for agricultural retailers and contains 1,440 pages of information for more than 800 products. OSHA requires each employer to maintain a current file for the MSDS for the hazardous substances used or handled in the workplace. This manual is the best solution to help with this requirement. The 2008 MSDS Manual makes compliance easier and at less than $40, more economical than trying to update your file yourself.
Click here to order now.

NRCS Techinal Note Released
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has released a Nitrogen Efficiency and Management Technical Note. Click here for the full technical note.

Liquid Bulk Fertilizer Storage
MCPR members may have questions about recent legislative changes related to customers storing on their farm liquid bulk fertilizer . MCPR is providing this statement that will give guidance reflecting the recently passed legislation and may suffice until the MDA provides us with a guidance document with more details. “The 2007 legislature amended “Sec. 28. Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 18C.305, by adding a subdivision to read: Subd. 3. Exemption. A permit and safeguard is not required for agricultural commodity producers who store, on their own property, for their own use, no more than 6,000 gallons of liquid commercial fertilizer.” Therefore, MCPR members should understand that a permit is not required and bulk fertilizer containment rules do not apply to agricultural commodity producers who store on their own property for their own use no more than 6,000 gallons of liquid commercial fertilizer. As always, use discretion related to the storage containers you fill.

"Minnesota Special" Nurse Tank Program
The US DOT has determined that the Minnesota Department of Agriculture "Minnesota Special" nurse tank registration program does not meet the federal requirements. All 1300 nurse tanks in Minneosta carrying the "Minnesota Special" registration will need to be tested. A program set up by TFI will assist you. Click here to learn more.
Click here for the MCPR/TFI/Asmark Institute nurse tank testing web site for more information on how you must proceed to insure your Minnesota Special nurse tanks are in compliance with the US DOT standards.
Click here to read the letter MDA sent to MCPR with the details of the USDOT decision, the MDA's response, and steps necesary in Minnesota to comply with the new USDOT position.

What should MCPR members know before a nurse tank at your facility leaks NH3 and TV vehicles and news staff with cameras arrive?
A police officer smelled NH3 and called the fire department. The firefighters found a valve on an NH3 tank that was leaking; after turning the valve tighter the vapor leak quit. However, when the TV cameras arrived, new concerns had to be addressed. For details and lessons learned, select the “News and Info” tab and select item #7.