Agricultural Commodities Division is responsible for the regulation, inspection and sampling of feed, including large animal and pet foods; agricultural seeds including crop, lawn and vegetable seeds; fertilizers; liming materials; and soil amendments. Samples are collected at retailer, wholesaler and milling operations and delivered to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station for testing. The test results are published by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. This Division also is responsible for monitoring product
labels for compliance with state and federal law. The sale of fraudulent or contaminated materials may also be stopped or suspended by the Agricultural Commodities Division.

Division staff are also responsible for inspection and regulation of additional agricultural commodities such as fruit contained in controlled atmosphere (CA) facilities. Commodity inspections are also conducted for frozen USDA poultry products utilized in school lunch programs.

The Agricultural Commodities Division is frequently asked if dog biscuits are considered pet food, and if so, must the producer of the product or products register these products with the State of Connecticut. The answer to this question is "yes", in order be sold legally within the state's borders each feed product formulation must be registered. Please see the "Commercial Feed Registration" form:   Commercial Feed Registration Application  

For further information or guidance, please contact Wayne Nelson at wayne.nelson@ct.gov or call (860)713-2565.