Growing for Wholesale: Grading and Packing Guidelines by Crop

Grading and packing guidelines are now available for 18 commonly grown specialty crops in NYS: romaine lettuce, acorn squash, broccoli crowns, Brussels sprouts, sweet corn, green peppers, cucumbers, green cabbage, red cabbage, savoy cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, green beans, jalapenos, poblanos, Hungarian hot peppers, summer squash, and zucchini.
Acceptable quality standards and common defects that should be sorted out on the grading line are depicted in these resources, both visually and in outline form.
This resource was developed through the support of Cheryl Thayer of CCE Harvest NY, Dave Walczak of Eden Valley Growers, Angela (Parr) Ochterski and Robert Hadad of the CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, and Jim Monahan of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Further, development of this resource was made possible through grant funding from the USDA Local Food Promotion Program.
Additional sheets are being added. See the new Romaine Lettuce sheet (September 2019) and Acorn Squash sheet (2018). New sheets are created by Robert Hadad and Angela Ochterski of the CCE Cornell Vegetable Program.
Acorn Squash (pdf; 1397KB)
Broccoli Crowns (pdf; 1416KB)
Brussels Sprouts (pdf; 917KB)
Cabbage - Green (pdf; 1037KB)
Cabbage - Red (pdf; 1431KB)
Cabbage - Savory (pdf; 1087KB)
Cauliflower 9's (pdf; 1409KB)
Cucumbers - Select (pdf; 880KB)
Cucumbers - 24ct Super (pdf; 1143KB)
Cucumbers - 36ct Super (pdf; 1143KB)
Cucumbers - Super (pdf; 1142KB)
Eggplant (pdf; 1113KB)
Green Beans (pdf; 780KB)
Peppers - Choice Green (pdf; 743KB)
Peppers - Green Sweet Large (pdf; 875KB)
Peppers - Green Sweet Medium (pdf; 907KB)
Peppers - Hungarian Hot 1 1/9 (pdf; 660KB)
Peppers - Hungarian Hot 1/2 Bushel (pdf; 662KB)
Peppers - Jalapeno 1 1/9 (pdf; 824KB)
Peppers - Jalapeno 1/2 Bushel (pdf; 828KB)
Peppers - Pablano 1 1/9 (pdf; 753KB)
Peppers - Pablano 1/2 Bushel (pdf; 756KB)
Romaine Lettuce (pdf; 364KB)
Squash - Summer (pdf; 802KB)
Sweet Corn Boxes (pdf; 2089KB)
Zucchini (pdf; 1173KB)
Set of All Crop Sheets (pdf; 17316KB)
- Download this file if you wish to have 1 file containing all 26 crop sheets

Upcoming Events
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Food Safety Training
March 10, 2026
Newark, NY
Learn about food safety on the farm! This event hosted by the Cornell Vegetable Program, Cornell Lake Ontario Fruit Team, CCE Wayne County, and the NYS Department of Agriculture, will cover good agricultural practices (GAPs) to help reduce the risk of microbial contamination on the farm, keeping food and consumers safe.
Urban Ag Food Safety Webinar
March 11, 2026
Urban and small-scale producers are encouraged to join us for the Urban Ag Food Safety webinar, featuring speakers from Cornell Cooperative Extension and Cornell IPM. We will explore the 'why' behind food safety, providing a basic overview and diving into specific urban ag considerations including water, pest, rodent, and soil health challenges. We will touch on the regulation and marketing landscape, and share resources for learning more. Bring your questions!
2026 NYS Processing Vegetable Educational Meeting
March 16, 2026
Batavia, NY
Processing vegetable industry members who grow, manage, or support crop production for Farm Fresh First/Nortera Foods, Seneca Foods and/or Love Beets, are encouraged to sign-up for the 2026 NYS Processing Vegetable Industry Meeting! You will:
- Network at this in-person meeting.
- Learn the results of industry-funded research.
- Have a voice in Cornell research and Extension.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 1a, 10, and 23.
2.0 Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) credits available.