§ 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.