The Paperless Fertilizer Tonnage Reporting Initiative is now providing expert guidance and tailored resources to help companies increase their operating efficiencies by moving to paperless reporting. The initiative, which is a collaborative effort of AgGateway, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the Association of American Plant Food Control Officials (AAPFCO) and the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA), is working with companies and state officials to achieve nationwide implementation of paperless reporting by the end of 2016. With nationwide implementation, the industry will benefit from a uniform reporting system that is faster, less error prone and more efficient, resulting in cost-savings and better use of human resources.

“The initiative is in full swing, with five states now fully on board, two others following soon, and about 30 additional states teeing up to start the process,” said Lila Brown, implementation expert for the initiative and president of Crystal Certified Solutions, Inc. “Companies should contact their states now to ask when they will begin accepting tonnage data in a paperless format.”

Brown encouraged companies to take full advantage of the resources posted in the ‘Get Connected’ section of the initiative website. These resources include a one-hour implementation webinar, a reporting readiness assessment, a new beta file validation tool, and other products to ensure a smooth transition to paperless reporting.