Security and Privacy Notice

Introduction

This web site is provided as a public service by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets. Unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage to this service, are strictly prohibited and may be punishable under applicable federal and state laws.

Security, Intrusion, and Detection

For site security purposes, and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, all network traffic is monitored in order to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage or conduct criminal activity. To protect the system from unauthorized use and to ensure that the system is functioning properly, individuals using this computer system are subject to having all of their activities monitored and recorded. Anyone using this system expressly consents to such monitoring and is advised that if such monitoring reveals evidence of possible abuse or criminal activity, system personnel may provide the results of such monitoring to appropriate officials.

Information Collected and Stored Automatically

If you visit our site to read or download information, such as career opportunities, press releases, etc., certain information is automatically collected and stored. This includes:

• The name of the domain (for example,"xcompany.com" if you use a private Internet access account, or "yourschool.edu" if you are connecting from a university's domain) and IP address (a number that is automatically assigned to your computer when you are using the Internet) from which you access our website;
• The date and time you access our site;
• The Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site; and
• The pages you visit.

This information is primarily collected for statistical analysis. This government computer system uses software programs to create summary statistics, which are used for such purposes as assessing what information is of most and least interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas.

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Information Collected from E-Mail

If you identify yourself by sending an E-mail containing personal information, you may volunteer to provide us personally identifying information, such as your mailing address, in an electronic mail message. Before you do so, you should know that the material you submit may be seen by various people. We may enter the information into a database and we may share it with other government agencies. Also, e-mail is not necessarily secure against interception. If your communication is very sensitive or includes personal information, you may want to send it in by postal mail instead. Information collected in this manner may be used for responding to requests for information as well as other authorized purposes.

Disclaimer of Google Translate

The Agriculture and Markets website is providing the "Google Translate" option to assist you in reading the Agriculture and Markets website in languages other than English. Google Translate cannot translate all types of documents, and may not provide an exact translation. Anyone relying on information obtained from Google Translate does so at his or her own risk. The State of New York does not make any promises, assurances, or guarantees as to the accuracy of the translations provided. The State of New York, its officers, employees, and/or agents shall not be liable for damages or losses of any kind arising out of, or in connection with, the use or performance of such information, including but not limited to, damages or losses caused by reliance upon the accuracy of any such information, or damages incurred from the viewing, distributing, or copying of such materials.

Disclaimer of Hypertext Links

Neither the Department of Agriculture and Markets nor its contributors are responsible for the content of any off-site pages that are referenced by our Home Page. The State of New York, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and its officers and employees do not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevancy, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. Further, the inclusion of links or pointers to particular items of hypertext is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered, on these outside sites, or the organizations sponsoring the sites.

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Disclaimer of Liability

All information provided by the Department on this Home Page is made available to provide immediate access for the convenience of interested persons. While the Department believes the information to be reliable, human or mechanical error remains a possibility. Therefore, the Department does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or correct sequencing of the information. Neither the Department, nor any of the sources of the information, shall be responsible for any error or omission, or for the use of, or the results obtained from the use of, this information.

With respect to any information found on this web site, neither the State of New York, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, nor any of its officers or employees make any warranty, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights.

Disclaimer of Endorsement

The State of New York, New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and its officers and employees do not endorse individual vendors, products or services. Therefore, any reference herein to any vendor, product or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply the endorsement, recommendation or approval of such vendor, product or service.

Indemnification

The user agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless, the State of New York, the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and any of its officers or employees from and against all claims and expenses, including attorney fees, arising out of the use of the on-line service by user in reference to any claim, however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, or tort (including negligence).