Which of the following is one of the three conditions for an affirmative defense related to fertilizer application?

• A. The applicator has a certificate or is supervised by a certified applicator; applications comply with state law; fertilizer is applied according to a voluntary nutrient management plan.
• B. The applicator must hold a pesticide license and submit monthly reports; the VNMP is mandatory.
• C. The applicator must be certified by the state for pesticides, and maintain daily crop yield records.
• D. The VNMP is optional and has no required criteria.

Answer: (A)

Affirmative defenses for fertilizer application rely on showing you were acting within the rules by meeting three conditions. First, the applicator must hold a certificate or be supervised by a certified applicator. Second, the applications must comply with state law. Third, the fertilizer must be applied according to a voluntary nutrient management plan (VNMP). The VNMP is a plan you voluntarily follow to manage when, where, and how much fertilizer is applied to minimize environmental impact. When all three conditions are met, they collectively serve as an affirmative defense against potential violations.

Other options don’t fit because they introduce requirements not part of this defense. A pesticide license and monthly reports aren’t the elements of this fertilizer-related defense, and claiming the VNMP is mandatory contradicts the voluntary nature of the plan. Likewise, requiring pesticide certification and daily yield records, or asserting the VNMP has no criteria, misstates what must be proven to have the defense.