FAQs for Commercial Feed, Fertilizers and Soil Conditions, and Agricultural Liming Materials Inspection Fees
- Ag Lime fees are due January 31st for sales made during the previous calendar year.
- Fertilizer and Soil Conditioner fees are due twice each year
- For sales made January through June, fees are due by the following July 31st
- For sales made July through December, fees are due by the following January 31st
- Commercial Feed Tonnage fees are due twice each year
- For sales made January through June, fees are due by the following August 15th
- For sales made July through December, fees are due by the following February 15th
*Inspection fees for small package products (10 lbs and less) are due one time per year by January 31st. Fees are $25 per product regardless of quantity sold
For what materials do I need a firm license or permit?
Firm licenses are needed by manufacturers and distributors of fertilizers, soil conditioners, and ag lime. Fertilizers make claims for nutrients, soil conditioners make claims to alter soil structure and function, and ag limes claim to change pH of soil.
A license for Commercial Feed is required for any entity manufacturing or distributing commercial feed within the State of Nebraska. This includes processed and/or mixed ingredients but typically excludes whole unmixed grains and roughage. See http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/animal/feed/ for complete information.
What information do I need to pay the inspection fees online?
- Firm license number
- Firms mailing address
- Contact Information
- Credit/debit card or bank account information
Fertilizer requires the record of tons per product sold by grade (fertilizers) and type (soil conditioners) sold during the reporting period.
Feed also requires a breakdown of tonnage by product type.
Small package requires the product name, classification (dog, cat, specialty or other). Product labels will still need to be submitted by mail or email.
What happens if I miss the deadline or forget to pay?
A 25% late fee will be assessed for fees submitted within 30 days of the due date.
A 50% late fee will be assessed for fees submitted after 30 days from the due date.
How often do I have to pay inspection fees?
See answer for When are inspection fees due?
Can I pay inspection fees for multiple locations at the same time?
Yes
What methods of payment are allowed?
Credit card (Visa, Mastercard or Discover) or eCheck (ACH).
Are there online fees charged, and if so, what are they?
Yes. All payments made online are charged $1.75 for web administration. Credit card payments are charged an additional 2.49% of the total transaction for bank fees, but e-Check payments are not charged an additional fee.
What do I do when my company changes names or addresses?
You will need to contact the Department of Agriculture (phone, email, mail) to have your company file updated prior to making payment, give us time to update your file, then proceed with online payment. Your second option is to submit this information along with payment through standard mail.
Can I pay my firm license fee at the same time as reporting fertilizer sales?
No. These fees are due at different times of the year. Firm license fees are due prior to January 1 (before current license expires). Fertilizer sales are not reported until after January 1, therefore, the two fees cannot be paid at the same time.
Who can I contact/email with a question?
For technical questions related to the web site email us at http://www.nebraska.gov/contact-us.html
For firm updates and reporting questions, contact Donene Lewis at 402-471-6849 or donene.lewis@nebraska.gov.
Who has to pay the inspection fee?
If you sell and/or distribute fertilizer, soil conditioners, or ag lime to an end user, an inspection fee of ten cents per ton is to be paid to the Department of Agriculture, by the entity distributing the product to the ultimate user. Retail stores selling pre-packaged products with annual sales of less than five tons are exempted from this requirement.
Inspection fees in the commercial feed area are the responsibility of the manufacturer. These can be paid by a broker or distributor as long as the Department of Agriculture is aware of the arrangement and the manufacturer maintains documentation of the arrangement.