Possible subjects of marketing orders.

Subject to the legislative restrictions and limitations set forth herein, any marketing order issued by the department may contain any or all of the following provisions:

(1) Provisions for the establishment of plans and programs for advertising, sales promotion, and education to maintain present markets or to create new or larger markets for agricultural commodities grown in this state. The department is authorized to prepare, issue, administer, and enforce plans and programs for promoting the sale of agricultural commodities, provided that any plan or program shall be directed toward increasing the sale of the commodities without reference to a private brand or trade name.

(2) Provisions for carrying on research studies in the production, harvesting, marketing, or distribution of agricultural commodities; for economic research or environmental research related to agricultural commodities; and for the expenditure of moneys for such purposes. In any research carried on pursuant to this subsection, the department, upon recommendation of the advisory council, shall select the research project or projects to be carried on. These projects may be carried out by any research agency the department determines, based upon recommendations of the advisory council.

(3) Provisions relating to the prohibition of unfair trade practices. In addition to the unfair trade practices now prohibited by law applicable to the distribution or handling of agricultural commodities within this state, the department is hereby authorized to include in any marketing order issued provisions designed to correct any trade practices affecting the distributing or handling of agricultural commodities within this state which the department finds, after a hearing in which all interested persons are given an opportunity to be heard, are unfair and detrimental to the effectuation of the declared purposes of this act.

(4) Provisions establishing or providing for establishing, with respect to agricultural commodities, either as delivered by producers to handlers, or as handled or otherwise prepared for market, or as marketed by producers or handlers:

(a) Grading standards of quality, condition, size, shape, maturity, pack, or any other criteria for indicating desirability of agricultural commodities, which standards may include minimum standards, provided the standards shall not be established below any minimum prescribed by law for such commodities.

(b) Uniform inspection and grading and proper labeling of agricultural commodities in accordance with the standards so established.

(c) The size, weight, capacity, dimensions, or pack of the containers which may be used in the packaging, transportation, sale, shipment, or other handling of agricultural commodities.

(5) Provisions for the establishment of surplus, stabilization, or byproduct pools for agricultural commodities, or of any grade, size, quality, or condition thereof, and provisions for the sale of the commodities in any pool and for the equitable distribution among the persons participating of the net returns derived from the sale of the commodities. Whenever the marketing order authorizes the establishment of any pool or pools, the department shall have the power to receive the commodities from each producer or handler and to handle the same according to the grade, size, quality, or condition and to account to each producer or handler participating upon a pro rata basis for the net proceeds derived from the sale.

(6) Provisions for mitigating problems of agricultural commodity producers, including, without limitation, production, labor, water, and environmental problems. After receiving the advice and recommendation of the appropriate agricultural advisory council, the department may expend assessment funds collected from the affected commodity group for use by that group in mitigating a specific problem.

(7) Provisions incidental to and not inconsistent with the terms, conditions, and provisions specified and necessary to effectuate the other provisions of the marketing order.