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Senate advances biofertilizer incentive bill with data‑privacy amendment; referred to Judiciary
Summary
Senate File 1575 would create incentives for emerging biological nitrogen products and technologies. The committee adopted an amendment protecting grower data and requiring aggregate reporting, then passed the bill to Judiciary.
Senate File 1575, carried in committee by Sen. Kupak, would establish a Biofertilizer Water Preservation Program to incentivize adoption of biological nitrogen sources, bio‑stimulants and related technologies that reduce reliance on commercial synthetic nitrogen.
Cameron Henning, a commercial agronomist with Pivot Bio, told the committee biological products — for example, seed‑applied nitrogen‑fixing microbes or foliar/soil bio‑stimulants — can supply part of a crop’s nitrogen needs and reduce the amount of synthetic nitrogen entering the system. "By taking even a small portion of synthetic nitrogen out of the growing cycle means that the potential source of nitrate contamination was never in the system," Henning said.
Sen. Westrom offered an A4 amendment to protect farmer‑level data and require aggregate program reporting by county; Sen. Kupak accepted the amendment as friendly. Committee members discussed fiscal and program design questions, including the proposed per‑acre incentive level ($5 per acre was referenced in committee discussion) and budget capacity. Several senators expressed concern about starting new programs given fiscal constraints; sponsors said the bill would be sent to Judiciary for more detailed review of legal, data and budget issues.
After adopting the amendment, the committee voted to pass Senate File 1575 as amended and referred it to the Judiciary Committee for further work.
