261 - Powers and duties of department.

§ 261. Powers and duties of department. The department shall: 1.  perform  necessary  activities  to  encourage  the development and  improvement of farmers' markets throughout New York state; 2. provide technical assistance to any public or  private  agency  for  the  planning,  financing  or  development  of  a farmers' market, which  market may include facilities for first-instance  processing,  shipping,  storage,  and  direct  sales  of  farm  and food products on a retail or  wholesale basis; 3. provide grants, from amounts appropriated, for state assistance  to  farmers'  markets,  as  provided  under section two hundred sixty-two of  this article; 4. collect, compile  and  publish  economic  information  on  farmers'  markets in the state; 5.  establish  working  relationships  with interested individuals and  organizations and  cooperative  extensions  for  the  purposes  of  this  article; and 6. compile listings of available funding resources for the development  and/or  improvement of farmers' markets within the state. The department  shall  periodically  advise  municipal  corporations,  regional market  authorities,  public  benefit  corporations, not-for-profit corporations  and agricultural cooperatives  organized  pursuant  to  the  cooperative  corporations  law  as  to the availability of such information and shall  provide such listings upon request.