The director may appoint an attorney and shall provide for such other personnel as may be necessary and shall prescribe their duties.

The director may conduct hearings and investigations to carry out the intent and purposes of this chapter.

In the conduct of any hearing, inquiry, or investigation, the director may administer oaths, and issue subpoenas for the attendance of witnesses and the production of papers, books, maps, accounts, documents, and testimony in any inquiry, investigation, or hearing which is ordered or undertaken in any part of the state.

The superior court of the county in which any inquiry, investigation, or hearing is held may compel the attendance of witnesses and require the disclosure by the witnesses of all facts known to them, relative to the matters under investigation, and the production of papers, maps, books, accounts, documents, and testimony as required by any subpoenas issued by the director.

Any party that disobeys any order or subpoena which is issued pursuant to the authority of the director is guilty of contempt and shall be certified to the superior court of the county in which the contempt occurs, which court shall punish the contempt.

The director through his duly authorized representatives and agents, including any proration zone agent who is in charge of a marketing program, shall have access, solely for the purposes of investigating possible violations of any marketing program, to the records of every producer, dealer, distributor, public or private property transporatation agency, and handler of a commodity as to which a marketing program has been instituted. He shall have at all times free and unimpeded access to any building, yard, warehouse, store, or transportation facility or other place in which any commodity under a marketing program is kept, stored, handled, or transported. All information which is obtained is confidential and shall not be disclosed unless required in a judicial proceeding.

In carrying out his duties under this chapter, the director may utilize the facilities and personnel of the state and county departments of agriculture.

A full and accurate record of business or acts which are performed, or of testimony which is taken pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, shall be kept and be placed on file in the office of the director.

The director may purchase general liability insurance for all marketing programs subject to the provisions of this chapter in an amount he or she determines as necessary. The cost of the insurance shall be paid by the affected marketing programs on a pro rata basis. The insurance policy shall name the director, in his or her official capacity, and all persons, collectively, that are subject to the marketing program as insured parties for claims made against the marketing program in its advisory capacity to the director or against the director regarding the activities of the marketing program. The director, after consultation with the Attorney General, may refer claims to the insurance carrier for appropriate action. In the alternative, the director may require that claims be handled in the manner otherwise specified in this chapter.