As used in this chapter:
(1) "Commission" means the Washington apple commission;
(2) "Crop year" means the year in which apples are harvested and is designated for those apples based on the date of harvest regardless of when they are subsequently packed or shipped;
(3) "Dealer" means any person who handles, ships, buys, or sells apples, or who acts as sales or purchasing agent, broker, or factor of apples;
(4) "Dealer district No. 1" includes the area of the state north of Interstate 90;
(5) "Dealer district No. 2" includes the area of the state south of Interstate 90;
(6) "Director" means the director of the department of agriculture or his or her duly authorized representative;
(7) "Executive officer" includes, but is not limited to, the principal management executive, sales manager, general manager, or other executive employee of similar responsibility and authority;
(8) "Fresh apples" means all apples other than processing apples;
(9) "Grower" means a person engaged in the business of producing apples for market in commercial quantities, whether as an individual, corporation, firm, limited liability company, trust, association, partnership, society, or any other organization of individuals;
(10) "Grower district No. 1" includes the counties of Chelan, Okanogan, and Douglas;
(11) "Grower district No. 2" includes the counties of Kittitas, Yakima, Benton, and Franklin;
(12) "Grower district No. 3" includes all counties in the state not included in the first and second districts;
(13) "Handler" means any person who ships or initiates a shipping operation, whether for himself, herself, or for another;
(14) "Processing apples" means all apples delivered to a processing plant for drying, dehydrating, canning, pressing, powdering, extracting, cooking, or for use in producing a product or manufacturing a manufactured article. However, "processing apples" does not include fresh apples sliced or cut for raw consumption;
(15) "Processor" and "processing plant" means every person to whom and every place to which apples are delivered for drying, dehydrating, canning, pressing, powdering, extracting, cooking, or for use in producing a product or manufacturing a manufactured article; and
(16) "Ship" means to load apples into a conveyance for transport, except apples being moved from the orchard where grown to a packing house or warehouse within the immediate area of production.