House Agriculture committee approves ISDA rule updates, adopts chemigation licensing process

The Idaho House Agriculture Affairs Committee on Thursday approved a package of Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) rule updates that implement federal and state standards and formalize a new, separate chemigation license created by the Legislature in 2024.

The rule packet approved by the committee updates multiple incorporation-by-reference (IBR) citations to newer federal or technical publications, rescinds duplicate language that exists in statute, and establishes a standalone licensing pathway for chemigation — the application of fertilizer or other products through irrigation systems — that had previously been tied to state pesticide licensing.

Committee members and ISDA staff said the changes are largely technical and intended to align state rules with statutes and nationally accepted standards. “Zebra is as good as you make it,” ISDA Director Chanel Tewalt said, explaining the department’s approach to incorporating external manuals and retaining the ability to administer state-level programs when federal requirements exist. Tewalt noted that some IBRs are necessary to maintain programs the state uses to certify producers for markets outside Idaho.

ISDA officials presented and the committee approved temporary and pending rule dockets covering: bonded warehouse and commodity buyer rules; weights and measures (updating to the latest NIST Handbook 44 reference); pesticide management plans and groundwater protection; the…