(a) Whenever the director has received a petition signed by 25%, or 200, whichever is less, of the producers of an agricultural commodity regarding the adoption of a marketing program or amendments to an existing marketing program, he or she shall give notice of a public hearing on the proposed marketing program or the proposed amendments to an existing marketing program. After receiving a petition for the establishment of a marketing program, the director may appoint a temporary producer committee to develop the proposed marketing program to be considered at the public hearing.
  (b) The director may require all handlers or processors of the agricultural commodity or distributors of the agricultural commodity input as individuals or through their trade associations to file with him or her within 30 days a report, properly certified, showing the correct names and addresses of all producers of the agricultural commodity from whom such handler, processor, or distributor received such agricultural commodity or agricultural commodity input in the marketing season next preceding the filing of such report. The director shall not make public or provide to anyone for private use the information contained in the individual reports of handlers or processors filed with the director pursuant to this section.

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 290.660

  • Agricultural commodity: means all agricultural, aquacultural, silvicultural, horticultural, floricultural, or viticultural products, livestock or livestock products, Christmas trees, bees, maple syrup, honey, commercial fish or fish products, and seeds produced in this state, either in their natural state or as processed by the producer of the commodity. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Agricultural commodity input: means an item used in the production, processing, or packaging of an agricultural commodity that is assessed by a specific marketing agreement. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Committee: means the commodity committee or advisory board established under a marketing program. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Director: means the director of the department. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Distributor: means a person engaged in selling, offering for sale, marketing, or distributing an agricultural commodity or agricultural commodity input that he or she has purchased or acquired from a producer or that the person is marketing on behalf of a producer, whether as owner, agent, employee, broker, or otherwise. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Handler: means a person that takes title to and is engaged in the operation of packing, cleaning, drying, packaging, sizing, hauling, grading, selling, offering for sale, or marketing a marketable agricultural commodity or an agricultural commodity input in commercial quantities as defined in a marketing program, that as owner, agent, or otherwise, ships or causes an agricultural commodity or agricultural commodity input to be shipped. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Marketing program: means a program established by order of the director under this act prescribing rules and regulations governing the marketing for processing, distributing, selling, or handling an agricultural commodity produced in this state or agricultural commodity input during a specified period and that the director determines would be in the public interest. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Processor: means a person engaged in canning, freezing, dehydrating, drying, fermenting, distilling, extracting, preserving, grinding, crushing, milling, or otherwise preserving or changing the form of an agricultural commodity for the purpose of marketing it. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  • Producer: means a person engaged in the business of producing, or causing to be produced for any market, an agricultural commodity or agricultural commodity input in quantity beyond that person's own family use, and having a value at first point of sale of more than $800. See Michigan Laws 290.652
  (c) The director shall issue a decision within 45 days after the close of the hearing based upon his or her findings and deliver to all parties of record appearing at the hearing and any other interested parties upon the request of those interested parties, by mail or otherwise, copies of the findings and recommendation approving or disapproving of the proposed marketing program. The recommendation shall contain the text in full of any proposed marketing program or amendment of an existing marketing program. The recommendation shall be substantially within the purview of the notice of hearings and shall be supported by evidence taken at the hearing or by documents of which the director is authorized to take official notice.