All Roll Calls
Yes: 132 • No: 0
IowaSF 63291st General Assembly (2025–2026)SenateWALLET
A bill for an act providing for programs and regulations related to agriculture, including crop production, animal health, and agricultural processing, providing for powers and duties of the department of agriculture and land stewardship, providing fees, and providing penalties. (Formerly SF 522, SSB 1160.) Effective date: 07/01/2025.
Sponsored By: COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
Signed by Governor
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
13 provisions identified: 6 benefits, 4 costs, 3 mixed.
Veterinarians face fines for disciplinary violations
Beginning July 1, 2025, Iowa's veterinary board can fine a licensee up to $10,000 after notice and a hearing. The board must find grounds for discipline. The fine can come in addition to license suspension or revocation. The attorney general can seek collection in court, and collected penalties go to the state general fund.
Veterinarians gain limits on license discipline
Beginning July 1, 2025, a state or federal law violation supports this veterinary discipline ground only when related to veterinary practice. Unrelated legal violations no longer qualify under this particular ground.
Fertilizer sellers get simpler sales reports
Beginning July 1, 2025, fertilizer and beneficial-substance reports list distributions by grade, without county-by-county totals. Reports covering the prior six months are due January 31 and July 31. Fertilizer registrants with packages weighing 25 pounds or less instead report annually by July 31 for the prior 12 months.
Home food processors avoid meat licensing
Beginning July 1, 2025, qualifying Iowa home food processing establishments are exempt from the meat and poultry establishment license requirement. The business must meet Iowa's legal definition of a home food processing establishment.
Iowa strengthens animal disease control duties
Beginning July 1, 2025, Iowa's agriculture department must identify and use practical, efficient methods to find and control animal diseases. This duty covers infectious or contagious diseases that threaten or may threaten animals in Iowa.
Lawful farming gets narrower sabotage rules
Beginning July 1, 2025, Iowa excludes accidental interruptions from lawful farm production from its critical infrastructure sabotage definition. Covered farm activities include applying fertilizer and beneficial substances.
More crop treatments count as farming
Beginning July 1, 2025, applying beneficial substances joins fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicide use as qualifying agricultural production for land classification. Land generally must be held in tracts of at least 10 acres and produce agricultural commodities in three of five years. The definition also covers qualifying conservation land, farm homes, outbuildings, and farm facilities. Related crop-production definitions include preparing soil and nurturing crops with beneficial substances. These changes do not state an automatic property-tax reduction.
Fertilizer businesses face fees and licenses
Beginning July 1, 2025, covered Iowa fertilizer and beneficial-substance businesses need a $20 license per manufacturing or distribution location. Licenses expire July 1 of the next even-numbered year and renew for two-year terms. Inspection fees can reach $0.20 per ton; manufacturing-use sales are exempt but must identify the buyer in reports. Manufacturers pay $100 yearly per brand and grade sold in packages weighing 25 pounds or less. For products sold in mixed sizes, the small-package fee applies proportionally; larger packages remain subject to per-ton fees. The law removes required fee cuts when the specified fund balance reaches $350,000 on June 30.
Meat processors pay higher license fees
Beginning July 1, 2025, Iowa raises annual meat and poultry license fees for covered establishments. Businesses preparing up to 20,000 pounds yearly for sale, resale, or custom processing pay $50 instead of $25. Those preparing more than 20,000 pounds pay $100 instead of $50. Licenses expire July 1 of each odd-numbered year. The agriculture department keeps the fees to administer the meat and poultry inspection law.
Compost and manure face broader oversight
Beginning July 1, 2025, compost applied to organic farmland loses its stated exception from Iowa's fertilizer-law requirements. This also covers land transitioning to organic production. Rules for certain unprocessed bulk dry animal manure now cover its use as a beneficial substance, not just fertilizer.
Court livestock sales follow receiver rules
Beginning July 1, 2025, court-ordered livestock sales or transfers are treated as occurring through a court-appointed receiver. Remaining proceeds follow Iowa's receivership priorities after local or state costs are paid. The Livestock Remediation Fund can cover animal care or disposal when other funds are insufficient. Available sale proceeds reimburse the fund before remaining money is distributed.
State rules replace local fertilizer controls
Beginning July 1, 2025, Iowa local governments cannot adopt or keep rules governing fertilizers or beneficial substances. The ban covers use, sales, distribution, storage, transport, disposal, formulation, labels, registration, and manufacturing. Local rules in these areas are void and unenforceable, creating statewide uniformity while removing local control.
Farm products face stronger safety rules
Beginning July 1, 2025, each fertilizer brand and grade, and each beneficial substance, needs registration before Iowa sales. Custom fertilizer orders are exempt but need labels; distributors need not repeat another person's registration. Beneficial substances face ingredient labels, testing, safety standards, and enforcement; microbial ingredients require genus, species, and measurable amounts. The agriculture secretary can require minimum ingredient levels and warnings, while registrants must provide evidence of product effects and safety. Fertilizer labels can appear directly on packages or attached end tags; beneficial substances in pesticide blends count as inert ingredients.
Sponsors & Cosponsors
Sponsor
COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS
Affiliation unavailable
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
House vote • 5/8/2025
Passed House
Yes: 84 • No: 0
Senate vote • 4/29/2025
Passed Senate
Yes: 48 • No: 0
Actions Timeline
Signed by Governor.
6/6/2025SenateReported correctly enrolled, signed by President and Speaker, and sent to Governor.
5/23/2025SenateExplanation of vote.
5/13/2025HouseMessage from House.
5/9/2025SenateImmediate message.
5/8/2025HousePassed House, yeas 84, nays 0.
5/8/2025HouseSubstituted for HF 998.
5/8/2025HouseRead first time, passed on file.
4/30/2025HouseMessage from Senate.
4/30/2025HouseImmediate message.
4/29/2025SenatePassed Senate, yeas 48, nays 0.
4/29/2025SenateCommittee report, approving bill.
4/21/2025SenateIntroduced, placed on Ways and Means calendar.
4/21/2025Senate
Bill Text
As Introduced
Enrolled
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