I have stayed away from many state jobs because the seeding and mulching requirements are behind the times. Minnesota DOT design engineers dictate the specifications for seeding and mulching. Almost every job will have the same giudelines. The soil is prepped, fertilizer, lime, and seed applied, dragged and packed. Then, certified, weed free straw mulch is applied and disc crimped. The seed, fertilizer, lime and amount of mulch varies, but it almost always the same process. I have seen them use the same process for school athletic fields. I have, for years, refused to do seeding for the state because they set the guidelines that I have to follow and require me to guarantee my work. They dictate the amount of lime and fertilizer to apply without ever taking a soil sample. They will let me apply the seed, lime, and fertilizer with a hydroseeder, but not mulch with it. They require rolled erosion control on most jobs with steep slopes, but they don't let us use BFM's or FGM's. Is this unique to Minnesota? I had read an artical that said California was getting away from blown straw because of the dust problems. There are EPA regulations on dust pollution from construction that get violated everytime a straw blower gets used. What are other state DOT's doing?