For purposes of the Nebraska Potato Inspection Act:

(1) Department means the Department of Agriculture;

(2) Director means the Director of Agriculture;

(3) Commercial potato growing area means a geographic area in which potatoes are produced and offered for sale in commercial quantities;

(4) Commercial shipment means (a) any potatoes shipped in commerce or processed and destined for human consumption and (b) noncertified seed potatoes shipped out of the state;

(5) Commercial potato acreage means a potato field of three acres or more;

(6) Person means and includes any natural person, firm, partnership, limited liability company, association, or corporation;

(7) Potato grower means the actual grower within the State of Nebraska of at least three acres of potatoes during the crop year;

(8) Potato shipper means and includes any person engaged in the business of shipping potatoes who, in any calendar year, sells one hundred eighty thousand pounds of potatoes grown in Nebraska, including potato growers who sell one hundred eighty thousand pounds of potatoes not through licensed shippers and any person who utilizes for any purpose in any calendar year one hundred eighty thousand pounds of potatoes grown in Nebraska not purchased from licensed shippers; and

(9) Preceding crop year means the last calendar year for which official acreage statistics have been compiled by the state-federal division of agricultural statistics.