"Applicant" means any person who applies to participate in the equipment leasing program and commercially handles 250,000 pounds or more of asparagus in the calendar year that they apply.

"Approved handler/packer" means any asparagus handler and/or packer who has submitted an equipment leasing program application to the department and has been approved by the department to participate in the program.

"Automation" means the technique and equipment used to bring about automatic operation and control of a process.

"Department" means the Washington state department of agriculture.

"Director" means the director of the Washington state department of agriculture or the director's designee.

"Handler/packer" means a person who sells, arranges for sale, represents, processes, distributes or packages fresh, frozen or pickled asparagus.

"Facility" means any place where fresh asparagus is prepared, handled and packaged as fresh, frozen, or pickled for sale.

"Labor saving" means actions, activities or processes designed to decrease the amount of human labor needed to prepare, handle or package fresh, frozen or pickled asparagus.

"Leasing" means to obtain the use of asparagus handling or packing equipment through the asparagus equipment leasing program.

"Packing equipment" means equipment associated with the activities of the postharvest handler/packer of fresh, frozen or pickled asparagus.

"Person" means an individual, firm, partnership, corporation, or association engaged in handling and/or packing fresh, frozen or pickled Washington state asparagus.

"Program administrator" means the director of the Washington state department of agriculture or the director's designee.

"Review committee" means a group of five to seven people representing the department and the Washington asparagus commission staff and members and one at large agricultural representative who is neither directly affiliated with the asparagus industry nor any of the equipment leasing program applicants. The purpose of the committee is to review equipment leasing program applications.