The director may adopt a marketing order that establishes a commodity board under this chapter for any of the following purposes:

(1) To aid agricultural producers in preventing economic waste in the marketing of their agricultural commodities and in developing more efficient methods of marketing agricultural products.

(2) To enable agricultural producers of this state, with the aid of the state:

(a) To develop, and engage in research for developing, better and more efficient production, irrigation, processing, transportation, handling, marketing, and utilization of agricultural products;

(b) To establish orderly marketing of agricultural commodities;

(c) To provide for uniform grading and proper preparation of agricultural commodities for market;

(d) To provide methods and means (including, but not limited to, public relations and promotion) for the maintenance of present markets and for the development of new or larger markets, both domestic and foreign, for agricultural commodities produced within this state and for the prevention, modification, or elimination of trade barriers which obstruct the free flow of such agricultural commodities to market;

(e) To eliminate or reduce economic waste in the marketing and/or use of agricultural commodities;

(f) To restore and maintain adequate purchasing power for the agricultural producers of this state;

(g) To provide information or communicate on matters pertaining to the production, irrigation, processing, transportation, marketing, or uses of an agricultural commodity produced in Washington state to any elected official or officer or employee of any agency;

(h) To provide marketing information and services for producers of an agricultural commodity;

(i) To provide information and services for meeting resource conservation objectives of producers of an agricultural commodity;

(j) To engage in cooperative efforts in the domestic or foreign marketing of food products of an agricultural commodity;

(k) To provide for commodity-related education and training; and

(l) To accomplish all the declared policies of this chapter.

(3) To protect the interest of consumers by assuring a sufficient pure and wholesome supply of agricultural commodities of good quality at all seasons and times.

Effective dates—2002 c 313: See note following RCW 15.65.020.