Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (301)

Authority: Title 3.2, Chapters , 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, Title 28.2, Chapter 2; and Title 61.1, Chapter 4, Code of Virginia.

A. Agricultural Commodity Boards shall be paid from the special fund taxes levied in the following estimated amounts:

1. To the Bright Flue-Cured Tobacco Board, $135,000 the first year and $135,000 the second year.

2. To the Corn Board, $390,000 the first year and $390,000 the second year.

3. To the Dark-Fired Tobacco Board, $8,000 the first year and $8,000 the second year.

4. To the Egg Board, $210,000 the first year and $210,000 the second year.

5. To the Pork Industry Board, $255,260 and 1.0 position the first year and $255,260 and 1.0 position the second year.

6. To the Soybean Board, $480,000 the first year and $480,000 the second year.

7. To the Peanut Board, $220,000 the first year and $220,000 the second year.

8. To the Cattle Industry Board, $425,000 the first year and $425,000 the second year.

9. To the Virginia Small Grains Board, $200,000 the first year and $200,000 the second year.

10. To the Virginia Horse Industry Board, $320,000 the first year and $320,000 the second year.

11. To the Virginia Sheep Industry Board, $35,000 the first year and $35,000 the second year.

12. To the Virginia Irish Potato Board, $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the second year.

13. To the Virginia Cotton Board, $180,000 the first year and $180,000 the second year.

14. To the State Apple Board, $257,650 the first year and $257,650 the second year.

B. Out of the amounts for this Item shall be paid from certain special fund license taxes, license fees, and permit fees levied or imposed under Title 28.2, Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7, Code of Virginia, to the Virginia Marine Products Board, $402,543 and 3.0 positions the first year and $402,543 and 3.0 positions the second year.

C. Each commodity board is authorized to expend funds in accordance with its authority as stated in the Code. Such expenditures will be limited to available revenue levels.

D. Out of this appropriation shall be set aside an amount not to exceed $1,779,086 the first year and $1,779,086 the second year from the general fund for the Virginia Wine Board.

E. Each commodity board specified in this Item shall provide an annual notification to its excise tax paying producers which summarizes the purpose of the Board and the excise tax, current tax rate, amount of excise taxes collected in the previous tax year, the previous fiscal year expenditures and the Board's past year activities. The manner of notification shall be determined by each Board.

F. Out of the amounts for this Item, the commissioner is authorized to expend from the general fund amounts not to exceed $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the second year for entertainment expenses commonly borne by businesses. Further, such expenses shall be recorded separately by the agency.

G. Out of the amounts for this item, the commissioner is authorized to expend $720,226 the first year and $870,226 the second year from the general fund for the promotion of Virginia's agricultural products overseas.  Such efforts shall be conducted in concert with the international offices opened by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

H. Included in these amounts is $32,900 from the general fund in the second year to support 4-H and Future Farmers of America youth participation educational costs at the State Fair of Virginia.  These funds shall not be used for administrative costs by the State Fair.

I. 1. Out of the amounts for this Item, $75,000 the first year and $75,000 the second year from the general fund shall be used for research, development and the applied commercialization of specialty crops.  For the purpose of these funds, specialty crops shall be defined as those crops not currently under widespread commercial production in Virginia, (not listed in the top 20 commodities in Virginia as reported annually by the National Agricultural Statistics Service) but which are commercially produced in other regions of the United States or other regions of the world. 

2. Projects supported with these funds will encompass a crop, or crops, which have a unique potential for successful commercialization due to an existing commercial end market for the crop, or crops, having been identified within the Commonwealth.  In selecting projects, priority shall be given to crops for which a commercial processor(s) or packer(s), operates within Virginia, and due to the specialty crop not currently being commercially grown in Virginia, this crop is currently imported into Virginia. The goal of the project is to improve the productivity and competitiveness of existing commercial food and agribusiness processors in Virginia through accelerated crop development of selected specialty crops that can be used as inputs and substitutes for an imported commodity.