'Amazon.com' for Vegetables Helps Gardeners Pick and Choose Varieties --- Julie McQuain is passionate about vegetables. Each season she grows nearly 100 varieties in her garden in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains. In the dozen years she has gardened there, she has discovered which vegetables perform best with her shallow soils and short summers. "It's a double challenge to find varieties that taste great and will grow under our less-than-perfect conditions," she says. Now, thanks to a program in the Department of Horticulture at Cornell University, McQuain has a new tool to help her find varieties that will both please the palate and fill the pantry. McQuain is one of more than 800 gardeners contributing to the Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners Web site ( http://vegvariety.cce.cornell.edu), profiling more than 4,100 varieties. Gardeners who visit the site can rate and review their favorites, as well as pan those that aren't worth the garden space.

"The Web site is like an Amazon.com for vegetable varieties, only we don't sell the seeds," says Lori Bushway, a senior extension associate in Cornell's Department of Horticulture. "Just as avid readers visit Amazon to see what books are available and what other readers recommend, vegetable enthusiasts can visit our site to learn what varieties are available and what their fellow gardeners think of them." The complete Cornell news release is available online at www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April06/veggies.web.site.cc.html

Cornell Invasive Species Forum - May 18 --- Invasive species represent one of the greatest environmental challenges for the 21st century, causing tremendous losses in agriculture and wild lands. The control and mitigation of effects of invasive species requires not only an understanding of their basic biology, but also of the environmental complexity of the habitats and interactions in invaded areas. The focus of this forum will be on research at Cornell University, structured to inform and build collaborations at Cornell, inform community members of the many efforts, and begin to develop a strategic vision for the future. The Center for the Environment will host this campus event, which will be led by Anurag Agrawal of the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. For more information, contact Paula Euvrard at pge3@cornell.edu.

GRANTS & PROPOSALS Farmers Markets Grants Now Available - Due May 9 -- New York State Agriculture Commissioner Patrick Brennan has announced the release of the Farmers Markets Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP). This grant program provides up to $50,000 in matching funds for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, expansion or rehabilitation of farmers markets in the State. Municipal corporations, regional market authorities, public benefit corporations, not-for-profits corporations and agricultural cooperatives are all eligible to apply for the Farmers Markets Grant Program. Proposals must involve physical improvement to a farmers market, such as portable or fixed signage, site preparation or improvement, or related architectural or engineering designs. Farmers Markets Grant applications are available at www.agmkt.state.ny.us. All applications for funding are due into the department by May 9.

USDA Releases Animal I.D. System Implementation Plan --- Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has announced the release of an implementation plan that outlines timelines and benchmarks for the establishment of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), along with a plan for the initial integration of private and state animal tracking databases with NAIS. "We recognize that this represents one of the largest systematic changes ever faced by the livestock industry, and we have welcomed suggestions from stakeholders to ensure that we continue to gain momentum. The plan we are releasing will guide our efforts as we continue to work with our state and industry partners to implement a nationwide system," said Johanns. The complete USDA news release is available at www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom.