S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   4660
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 23, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. RITCHIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Agriculture
 
 AN ACT authorizing the commissioner of the department of agriculture and
   markets to develop the future agriculture readiness marketing camp
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The  commissioner  of  agriculture  and markets is hereby
 authorized and directed to develop an agricultural marketing "boot camp"
 program in accordance with the requirements prescribed in this act.
   § 2. (a) The commissioner of agriculture and markets  is  directed  to
 develop  the program in cooperation with an advisory board consisting of
 the presidents of: SUNY Morrisville; SUNY Canton; SUNY Cobleskill;  SUNY
 Oswego,  and the dean of the college of agriculture and life sciences at
 Cornell University.  Though the resources of each institution  shall  be
 utilized, the program shall be coordinated by the Small Farms program of
 Cornell  University.    Two  representatives, one selected by the senate
 majority, and the second by the assembly majority, shall also  serve  on
 the program's advisory board.
   (b) Members of the advisory board described in subdivision (a) of this
 section  shall  not  receive  compensation,  but  shall  be  entitled to
 reimbursement for expenses under any  applicable  state  law,  rule,  or
 regulation.
   § 3. The program shall be no less than one week in length, but no more
 than  two  weeks,  and  shall  be at least as academically rigorous as a
 200-level-class at any of the institutions in subdivision (a) of section
 two of this act. Participants shall have the same access to information,
 faculty, staff, and resources as a matriculated student  would  have  at
 any  of the institutions named in subdivision (a) of section two of this
 act. The program shall consist of one cohort each year, of not more than
 thirty students, but not fewer than five students.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09433-04-7
              

 S. 4660                             2
 
   § 4. (a) Prospective participants shall submit an  application,  at  a
 time  and  in a manner determined by the participating institutions. The
 application shall include a combination of media, and  at  minimum  must
 describe:  a  business plan; marketing goals; the product intended to be
 sold, and demonstrate that the prospective participant has the necessary
 attributes to succeed in the program.  Prospective participants may also
 be  required  to  submit  other supplementary documentation as is deemed
 necessary by the participating institutions.
   (b) Successful applicants shall be required  to  pay  a  fee  covering
 room,  board,  and  materials.  This fee shall not exceed $500 per week,
 payable to any participating institution that hosts all  or  a  part  of
 that year's administration of the program.
   §  5.  The  program  will be held on the campus of either SUNY Morris-
 ville, SUNY Canton, SUNY Cobleskill, or SUNY Oswego, or any  combination
 thereof  as  determined by the participating institutions.  The location
 may change from one year to another.
   § 6. The program shall teach participants how to: develop their chosen
 product; how to identify prospective  consumers;  how  to  market  their
 product  to  such  consumers, and how to transport their product to such
 consumers. The program may also include any  other  topics  or  cognates
 that the participating institutions deem necessary and proper.
   § 7. (a) No more than one week after the end of each administration of
 the  program,  participating  institutions  shall  review  presentations
 prepared by each participant. Presentations shall feature such materials
 as the participating institutions may deem  appropriate  to  demonstrate
 understanding of the program content, and the further development of the
 business  plan and marketing goals contained in the participant's appli-
 cation.
   (b) Of each cohort, not more than one-third of the participants shall,
 based on the presentations described in subdivision (a) of this section,
 be selected for a grant of funds. Each individual grant shall not exceed
 $10,000.
   (c) Each grant shall be issued by the empire state development  corpo-
 ration, according to an agreement between it, the department of agricul-
 ture and markets, and the office of the state comptroller.
   (d)  Each  awardee shall be required to submit periodic reports to the
 department of agriculture and markets and the office of the state  comp-
 troller.  These  reports  will  allow the monitoring of grant funds, and
 should also serve to develop best-practices models that will  be  shared
 with  future  participants  in  the program, as well as the students and
 faculty of participating institutions.
   § 8. The commissioner of agriculture  and  markets  is  instructed  to
 ensure  that  the  program  admits  only owners of small to medium sized
 farms based on the United States department of agriculture's 2012  agri-
 culture  census of New York state, who seek to target non-traditional or
 non-commodity markets. Applicants must be domiciled in  New  York  state
 and have a principal place of business in this state.
   §  9.  The commissioner of agriculture and markets shall be authorized
 to provide funds for this program only to the extent that  an  appropri-
 ation is available for that specific purpose.
   §  10.  This  act  shall  take effect immediately. The commissioner of
 agriculture and markets shall induct the first cohort into  the  program
 within one year of the effective date of this act.