245. Definitions. 1. "Farm products" includes all agricultural, horticultural, floricultural, and vegetable and fruit products of the soil, Christmas trees, livestock and meats, poultry, nuts, honey, maple tree sap and maple products produced therefrom, wool, hides, hay, straw and grains; but shall not include eggs, dairy products or timber products, except as hereinabove set forth.
2. "Dealer" means any person who buys or receives farm products from a producer for resale, or arranges, facilitates or brokers the sale of farm products from a producer to a dealer or any other person; and shall also include "commission merchants", "net-return dealers", "brokers" and "processors". A "commission merchant" means any person engaged in the business of receiving farm products for sale on commission, however computed. A "net-return dealer" means a dealer who solicits or receives shipments of farm products under a promise to pay for the same on the basis of current market prices on receipt or at a price bearing some specified premium above or below established market quotations. A "broker" means any person engaged in the business of negotiating sales and purchases of farm products for or on behalf of the vendor or the purchaser. A "processor" means any person who bakes, brines, bottles, cans, concentrates, dehydrates, dresses, dries, freezes, juices, packages, pickles, preserves, presses or waxes and/or encloses such stabilized farm products, or their derivative products, in any container, whether or not hermetically sealed, provided, however, that a person who buys farm products only for sale, including sale in a processed form, at retail to the ultimate consumer shall not be deemed a dealer for purposes of this article. Sale at retail to the ultimate consumer shall not include sales to industrial, institutional, commercial or agricultural users.
3. "Prompt payment" means payment within thirty days of the date farm products sold by a producer to a dealer are delivered to such dealer, or other person as the purchaser may designate, or such other period of time as otherwise agreed upon in a writing signed by the dealer and the producer on or before delivery of said farm products, provided that in no event shall such period exceed one hundred twenty days from said date of delivery.
4. "Producer" means any person who grows farm products or sells livestock within this state.
5. "Person" means any individual, corporation, partnership or association.
6. "Poultry" means any live or slaughtered domesticated chicken, duck, turkey, goose, pheasant, squab or guinea hen.
9. "Bond" means a bond executed by a surety company authorized to do business in this state.
10. "Letter of credit" means an irrevocable letter of credit conforming to article five of the uniform commercial code, and executed by a bank or trust company authorized to do business in this state.
Last modified: February 3, 2019