Authority: Title 3.2, Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 30, 32, 34, 36.2; 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 Tobacco Board, $143,000 the first year and $143,000 the second year.

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

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

4. To the Soybean Board, $980,000 the first year and $980,000 the second year.

5. To the Peanut Board, $320,000 the first year and $320,000 the second year.

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

7. To the Virginia Small Grains Board, $750,000 the first year and $750,000 the second year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

C. 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.

D. The Commissioner shall take all necessary actions to ensure that the fees collected are adequate to cover the nongeneral fund portion of the Grain Inspection Program expenses, including those related to product inspections that are requested by parties financially interested in any agricultural products pursuant to § 3.2-3400, Code of Virginia.

E. Out of the amounts in 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 two positions the first year and $402,543 and two positions the second year.

F. Out of the amounts in this Item, $2,017,494 the first year and $2,017,494$2,273,692 the second year from the general fund shall be deposited to the Virginia Wine Promotion Fund as established in § 3.2-3005, Code of Virginia.

G. Out of the amounts in this Item, $500,000 the first year and $250,000 the second year from the general fund shall be deposited to the Virginia Farmland Preservation Fund established in § 3.2-201, Code of Virginia. This appropriation shall be deemed sufficient to meet the provisions of § 2.2-1509.4, Code of Virginia.

H. Out of the amounts in 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.

I. Out of the amounts in this Item, the Commissioner is authorized to expend $1,120,226 the first year and $1,120,226 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.

J. Out of the amounts in this Item, $25,000 the first year and $25,000 the second year from the general fund shall be provided 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.

K. 1. Out of the amounts in this Item, $75,000 the first 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.

L. Out of the amounts in this item, $113,580 the first year and $113,580 the second year from the general fund and one full-time equivalent position shall be used to establish the Virginia Farm Business Development Program. This program shall provide farmers and small agribusinesses that qualify under guidelines as established by the Department with grants not to exceed $5,000 to assist with business planning, market research, and other related activities including in-depth research, website design, social media strategy, food innovation, packaging design, modernization of facilities and business certification. The authorized position shall be used for management of the grant program and to conduct regional workshops on marketing and business development. Not later than November 15, 2016, the Department shall report to the Chairmen of the House Committee on Appropriations and the Senate Committee on Finance on the efforts undertaken by the Department to establish the program, the grant guidelines, and the number of grants awarded.

M. Out of the amounts in this item, $50,000 the first year from the general fund shall be provided for the renovation of the Appomattox 4-H Center.

N. The department is directed to survey local farmer's markets across the Commonwealth to determine if any local regulations governing the operations of such markets discourage the sale of Virginia products by the use of a locally-grown perimeter rule that gives preference to out-of-state products over products grown in Virginia. If the department finds any such impediments exist, it shall encourage local farmer's markets to revise their guidelines to ensure that Virginia products are given first preference, regardless of the distance from the particular market. In instances where a local Virginia grown product already is selling at a particular market, competitors from across the state should be allowed to sell their Virginia grown products provided there are no objections submitted by competing Virginia sellers.