The IL Department of Agriculture is currently in the process of requesting from fertilizer registrants the tonnage sold to the end user for the fall of 2012.  Once you report these tons, IDA will issue your company a control number, and an invoice for 75 cents per ton that is payable directly to the Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council, PO Box 3201, Bloomington IL  61702-3201.  The invoice will include a self-addressed envelope with NREC's address on it.  You should not pay anything to NREC until you receive your invoice from IDA.  As in the past, 25 cents per ton is also assessed by the Fertilizer Act to be paid directly to the Illinois Department of Agriculture to fund the IDA's fertilizer inspection, safety, quality and licensing program.  The payment of the 25 cents per ton to IDA has not changed.  Only the 75 cent payment to NREC is new.  Also new is a requirement that all fertilizer distributors must register annually with IDA and pay a $100 fee for the main location that distributes fertilizer, and $50 for every additional company location that distributes fertilizer.  This new distributor license requirement ensures that all businesses in the State involved in fertilizer distribution are registered, and it eliminates the old requirement to register custom blends.  If you have any questions about these changes, please go to the IFCA website at http://ifca.com and view the heading that describes the changes in the Illinois Fertilizer Act.  Go to the NREC website at http://illinoisnrec.org to learn more about this new program to invest in fertilizer research, education and NREC's vision to ensure a profitable crop production system that also addresses efforts to protect water quality.