§ 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.