Fertilizer products in Minnesota are regulated by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). Beginning January 1, 2026, manufacturers must also tell the MDA each year whether their products contain intentionally added PFAS. This applies to fertilizers, specialty fertilizers, soil amendments, plant amendments and agricultural liming materials.
What Are PFAS?
PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. They are a large group of manufactured chemicals that have been used in many products because they resist water, oil and heat. Minnesota uses a broad definition that includes any fluorinated organic chemical with at least one fully fluorinated carbon atom.
Intentionally Added PFAS
PFAS are considered intentionally added when they are added to a product on purpose and are meant to stay in the final product, or one of its components, to perform a specific function. However, accidental contamination and PFAS unintentionally present in recycled materials generally do not count.
PFAS added to a raw material by a supplier can also count. This means a manufacturer may still need to report PFAS in its product, even if the manufacturer did not add it directly.
Registration and Renewal
During registration or renewal, manufacturers answer “yes” or “no” for each product to confirm whether it contains intentionally added PFAS. If the answer is no, the MDA does not require any additional PFAS information.
If the answer is yes, the manufacturer must also complete the MDA’s PFAS Ingredient Reporting Form. This form asks for details such as the name of each PFAS, its purpose, the amount present and a CAS number or another approved identifier. For 2026, the form is due by the end of the year and must be submitted annually after that.
Packaging
The MDA only covers PFAS in the fertilizer formulation. PFAS intentionally added to packaging or other parts of the product must be reported to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) through its PRISM reporting system. The first MPCA deadline was September 15, 2026, and companies that received an extension have until December 14, 2026.
If neither the formulation nor the packaging contains intentionally added PFAS, a report is generally not required by either agency. However, manufacturers still need to answer the yes or no question during registration or renewal. Companies using fluorinated plastic containers may want to confirm with the MPCA whether reporting is required.
Changes in 2032
Beginning January 1, 2032, Minnesota will not register fertilizer products that contain intentionally added PFAS. The only exception is if the MDA determines that the use is a “currently unavoidable use.” This means the use must be essential for health, safety or the functioning of society, with no reasonably available alternative.
Supplier Information
Companies should ask both their ingredient and packaging suppliers for written PFAS statements and keep these records on file. A Safety Data Sheet (SDS) may not list every ingredient, so it should not be relied on alone to confirm whether PFAS are present.
