§ 159.20 — Powers of department

Iowa § 159.20

• Jurisdiction: Iowa
• Title V: AGRICULTURE
• Ch. 159: DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND LAND STEWARDSHIP

Text

1. The department shall perform duties designed to lead to more advantageous marketing
of Iowa agricultural commodities. The department may do any of the following:
a. Investigate the marketing of agricultural commodities.
b. Promote the sale, distribution, and merchandising of agricultural commodities.
c. Furnish information and assistance concerning agricultural commodities to the public.
d. Cooperate with the college of agriculture and life sciences of the Iowa state university
of science and technology in encouraging agricultural marketing education and research.
e. Accumulate and diffuse information concerning the marketing of agricultural
commodities in cooperation with persons, agencies, or the federal government.
f. Investigate methods and practices related to the processing, handling, grading,
classifying, sorting, weighing, packing, transportation, storage, inspection, ormerchandising
of agricultural commodities within this state.
g. Ascertain sources of supply for Iowa agricultural commodities. The department shall
prepare and periodically publish lists of names and addresses of producers and consignors
of agricultural commodities.
h. Perform inspection or grading of an agricultural commodity if requested by a person
engagedintheproduction, marketing, orprocessingoftheagriculturalcommodity. However,
the person must pay for the services as provided by rules adopted by the department.
i. Cooperate with the economic development authority to avoid duplication of efforts
between the department and the agricultural marketing program operated by the economic
development authority.
j. Provide for the promotion and expansion of renewable fuels and coproducts, by doing
all of the following:
(1) Assist the office of renewable fuels and coproducts in administering the provisions of
chapter 159A, subchapter II.
(2) Assist the renewable fuel infrastructure board, provide for the administration of the
renewable fuel infrastructure programs, and provide for the management of the renewable
fuel infrastructure fund, as provided in chapter 159A, subchapter III.
2. The department shall administer programs that advance the purchasing of agricultural
commodities produced on Iowa farms and Iowa products that originate as agricultural
commodities produced on Iowa farms under this title, including chapter 187.
3. As used in this section:
a. “Agricultural commodity” means any unprocessed agricultural product, including
animals, agricultural crops, and forestry products grown, raised, produced, or fed in Iowa
for sale in commercial channels.
b. “Commercial channels” means the processes for sale of an agricultural commodity or

unprocessed product from the agricultural commodity to any person, public or private, who
resells the agricultural commodity for breeding, processing, slaughter, or distribution.

Legislative History

[C62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §159.20]