N.Y. Agriculture & Markets Law § 284: Establishment of statewide direct marketing activities

§ 284. Establishment of statewide direct marketing activities. The

department shall conduct statewide direct marketing activities which

shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Communications and promotion of direct marketing activities, to

include, where appropriate, cooperation with the cooperative extension

service in the area of education.

2. Development of institutional direct marketing programs to increase

the purchase of New York state farm and food products in coordination

with the office of general services and the department of education.

3. Development of a technical assistance program for initiating,

improving, and expanding direct marketing activities and developing new

forms of direct marketing.

4. Development of guidelines for direct marketing operations that will

assist individual producers in reducing costs and improve their

financial returns and help assure consumers of high quality food.

5. Assistance to retail food stores in purchasing directly from New

York state food producers.

6. Assistance to direct marketing organizations in areas identified as

having poor consumer access to high quality and reasonably priced food

and farm products.

7. Assistance to producers or consumers to initiate or improve retail

and wholesale farmers' markets.

8. (a) Submission of a quinquennial report to the legislature, the

first of which shall be submitted in the year two thousand six, which

shall include an evaluation of the regional and institutional effect of

direct marketing activities during the previous five years.

(b) Between report due dates, the department shall maintain the

necessary records and data required to satisfy such report requirements

and to satisfy information requests received from the legislature

between such report due dates.

9. Establish the Hudson valley agricultural center to serve as a

marketing, promotional, informational and cultural center for the Hudson

river valley agricultural region and greenway and to promote the

production of fruits (including juices, jellies, and preserves made

therefrom), wine, cider, vegetables, and other agricultural products.