(1) The Office of Agricultural Marketing shall: (a) Promote and develop markets for Kentucky agricultural products, assist in setting up farm cooperatives, and assist in coordinating feasibility studies, loans, grants, and funding activities for producers and cooperatives; (b) Gather and disseminate information concerning supply, demand, prevailing prices, and commercial movement, including common and cold storage of food products, and maintain market news service for the purpose of disseminating this information; (c) Foster and encourage the inspection, grading, standardizing, labeling, and branding of farm products; provide standards of excellence and brands for the use of producers and consumers in the marketing of Kentucky -grown products; and promote the sta ndardization of packages and containers for those purposes; (d) Promulgate administrative regulations for the grading, packing, hauling, storing, and sale of farm products if the administrative regulations are authorized by statutes, and enforce those administrative regulations; (e) Act as mediator or arbitrator, when invited, in any issue that may arise between producers and distributors of agricultural products; (f) Encourage the establishment of public markets and direct dealing between producer and consumer; (g) Promote the sale of Kentucky -grown products locally, and in domestic and international markets; (h) Encourage the development of a market for the commercial production of earthworms; (i) Negotiate and enter into cooperative agreements with the Un ited States Department of Agriculture or any other appropriate federal agency for carrying out the provisions of this section; (j) Develop opportunities for the diversification of Kentucky agriculture, including additional crops and enterprises for tobacco growers; and (k) Establish an Organic Agricultural Product Certification Program. (2) The functions of the office shall be supplementary to, and not in duplication of, the educational activities of the College of Agriculture of the University of Kentucky. (3) In accomplishing its purposes, the office shall not compete with business operated by private capital.
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