Miss. Code Ann. § 69-24-5 (2024)

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the definition ascribed to them herein unless the context requires otherwise:

• (a) "Amending ingredient" means a substance which will improve the physical or chemical characteristics of the soil or improve crop production or quality when applied to the soil, plant or seed.

• (b) "Brand" means the term, designation, trade mark, product name or other specific designation under which individual soil or plant amendments are offered for sale.

• (c) "Bulk" means in nonpackaged form.

• (d) "Distribute" means to import, consign, manufacture, produce, compound, mix or blend soil or plant amendments, or offer for sale, sell, barter or otherwise supply soil or plant amendments in this state.

• (e) "Distributor" means any person who imports, consigns, manufactures, produces, compounds, mixes or blends soil or plant amendments, or who offers for sale, sells, barters, or otherwise supplies soil or plant amendments in this state.

• (f) "Inert ingredients" means the non-amending ingredients present in soil or plant amendments.

• (g) "Ingredient form" means the chemical compound, such as salt, chelate, oxide, acid, etc., of an ingredient or the physical form of an ingredient.

• (h) "Investigational allowance" means an allowance for variations inherent in the taking, preparation and analysis of an official sample of soil or plant amendment.

• (i) "Label" means the display of all written, printed or graphic matter upon the immediate container or statement accompanying a soil or plant amendment.

• (j) "Labeling" means all written, printed, or graphic matter, upon or accompanying any soil or plant amendment, or advertisements, brochures, posters, or television or radio announcements used in promoting the sale of such soil or plant amendment.

• (k) "Minimum percentage" means that percent of soil or plant amending ingredient, when mentioned in any form or manner, that must be present before the product will be accepted for registration.

• (l) "Official sample" means any sample of soil or plant amendment taken by the commissioner or his agent and designated as "Official" by the commissioner and state chemist.

• (m) "Percent" or "percentage" means parts per hundred by weight.

• (n) "Person" means individual, partnership, association, firm, or corporation.

• (o) "Plant amendment" means any substance applied to plants or seeds which is intended to improve germination, growth, yield, product quality, reproduction, flavor or other desirable characteristics of plants except commercial fertilizers, soil amendments, agricultural liming materials, unmanipulated animal and vegetable manures, pesticides, plant regulators, Rhizobium legume inoculants, and other materials which may be exempted by regulation; provided that, commercial fertilizer shall be included if it is represented to contain, as an amending ingredient, a substance other than a recognized plant food element or is represented as promoting plant growth by means other than supplying a recognized plant food element.

• (p) "Registrant" means the person who registers soil or plant amendments under the provisions of this chapter.

• (q) "Soil amendment" means and includes any substance which is intended to improve the physical, chemical or other characteristics of the soil or improve crop production, except the following: commercial fertilizers, plant amendments, agricultural liming materials, agricultural gypsum, unmanipulated animal manures, topsoil, unmanipulated vegetable manures, pesticides, and herbicides, Rhizobium legume inoculants, and other material which may be exempted by regulation; provided that commercial fertilizer shall be included if it is represented to contain, as an amending ingredient, a substance other than a recognized plant food element or is represented as promoting plant growth by means other than supplying a recognized plant food element.

• (r) "Ton" means a net weight of two thousand (2,000) pounds avoirdupois.

• (s) "Weight" means the weight of material as offered for sale.

Laws, 1978, ch. 322, § 3, eff. 7/1/1978.