The Official Portal for the State of Georgia

Plant Industry - Plant Food Feed and Grain

Julie Hester
Agriculture Manager III

Larry O. Kelley
Field Inspectors Supervisor

Mailing Address:                                                  
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Plant Food, Feed and Grain
19 MLK Jr. Drive SW Room 604
Atlanta, GA  30334
Tele:  404-656-3637
Fax:  404-463-6670

The Plant Food, Feed and Grain Division is responsible for the enforcement and administration of the feed, fertilizer, lime, soil amendment and horticultural growing media laws of Georgia, and is in charge of the official grain inspection program in the state.

Fertilizer

The Georgia Fertilizer Act requires persons who distribute fertilizer in Georgia to be licensed and all specialty fertilizers be registered.  This Act also regulates labeling, product sampling, and tonnage reporting.  Anyone who distributes a fertilizer in Georgia to non-licensees must pay an inspection fee of $0.30 per ton to the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Fee requirements:  $50.00 per  year for license and renewals, $50.00 per Specialty Fertilizer (less than or equal to 10 pounds) and renewals.

A notarized Consent to Service of Process Form is required of all out of state companies.

Contact:  Julie Hester jhester@agr.state.ga.us

To view PDF documents you'll need the free Acrobat Reader.

word file Georgia Fertilizer Act Georgia Fertilizer Rules & Regulations

 Application for Fertilizer License and Renewal

 Application for Registration of Specialty Fertilizer

 Application for Renewal of Specialty Fertilizer Registrations

 Tonnage Report Form


Liming Materials

The Georgia Liming Materials Act requires persons who distribute liming materials in Georgia to be licensed and all products registered.  This Act also regulates labeling, product sampling, and tonnage reporting.

Fee requirements:  $50.00 per year for original license; license renewal based on annual tonnage;  $50.00 per products registration and renewals.

A notarized Consent to Service of Process Form is required of all out of state companies.

Contact:  Julie Hester jhester@agr.state.ga.us

word file Georgia Liming Materials Act Georgia Liming Materials Rules & Regulations

 Application for Lime License and Renewal 

 Application for Registration of Liming Materials 

 Application for Renewal of Liming Materials Registrations 

 Tonnage Report Form 


Soil Amendments

The Soil Amendment Act requires registration of all soil amendments distributed in Georgia.  This Act regulates labeling, sampling and tonnage reporting.

Fee Requirements- $50.00 per product, $50.00 for renewals.

A notarized Consent to Service of Process Form is required of all out of state companies.

word file Georgia Soil Amendment Act

 Application for Registration of Soil Amendments  

 Application for Renewal of Soil Amendments  

 Tonnage Report Form  


Horticultural Growing Media

To protect consumers and maintain consistency in the potting soil industry, the Georgia Department of Agriculture has adopted regulations concerning labeling and soil media composition.  It is our responsibility to register and approve potting soils and all label information, including the base material, percentage of peat, bark, and other contents.  If you are interested in selling media in Georgia, please contact our division for a registration packet.

word file Georgia Horticultural Growing Media Act

  Horticultural Growing Media Registration Form  (105KB)

 Labeling Requirements  (45KB)

 Suitability Documentation Instructions  (48KB)


Feed

The Georgia Feed Laws and Rules and Regulations require that all feed manufacturers obtain a commercial feed license and register all pet foods or specialty pet foods in packages of 10 pounds or less.  This Law is designed to ensure that feed manufacturers properly label their products.   This is done by label review and product sampling.

Fee requirements:  $50.00 for original license,  $25.00 per pet food or specialty pet food less than or equal to 10 pounds.  Renewal of license based on annual tonnage (Maximum license fee and registration fees- $1000.00).

A notarized Consent to Service of Process Form is required of all out of state companies.

Contact Julie Hester jhester@agr.state.ga.us 

word file Georgia Commercial Feed Act Georgia Commercial Feed Rules and Regulations

word file Application for Commercial Feed License   

 Registration for Pet Food and Specialty Pet Food  

 Homemade Pet Treats Brochure


Grain Inspection

The Grain Grading Lab provides a service to consumers by inspecting grain coming into and leaving the State of Georgia.  The inspections are done by Georgia Department of Agriculture inspectors, who are licensed through the Federal Grain Inspection Service of USDA.  The ultimate goal is to insure that the public receives the best grain quality possible.  The Grain Grading Lab is located at the Georgia Department of Agriculture Facility at 3150 US Highway 41 South, Tifton, Georgia, 31793.

Contact Michael Cooper mcooper@agr.state.ga.us

 Grain Inspection Service Fee Schedule

 Grain Sampling Submission Form  

Request for Sampling


CONSENT TO SERVICE OF PROCESS FORM:

A notarized Consent to Service of Process Form is required of all out of state companies.

Please select from the following options:

 Corporation

 LLC

 Partnership

 Sole Proprietor


LINKS TO OTHER USEFUL SITES:

Association of American Plant Food Control Officials

The Fertilizer Institute

Association of American Feed Control Officials

Pet Food Institute

Federal Grain Inspection Service

US Department of Homeland Security