Cornell Vegetable Program Enrollment

Program Areas

  • Food Safety
  • Variety Evaluation
  • Market Development
  • Pest Management
  • Cultural Practices

Enrollment Benefits

  • Telephone / Email Consultations
  • VegEdge Newsletter
  • Direct Mailings
  • Educational Meetings & Conferences
  • In-Field Educational Opportunities
  • On-Farm Research Trials

CVP Enrollment Form (PDF; 261KB)

Enrollee Login

Password:

Log In To Access:

  • Issues of VegEdge Newsletters

Not an Enrollee? Enroll Now!

Online Enrollment Form

Growing for Wholesale: Vegetable Grading/Sizing Templates

Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

February 21, 2018

Growing for Wholesale: Vegetable Grading/Sizing Templates

To further assist farmers looking to sell into wholesale markets, the Cornell Vegetable Program has put together some helpful tools. The tools provided here consist of a color photo guide highlighting the grades of some of the most common vegetables grown for wholesale market in WNY.

To aid in the visualization of the grading sizes, the crop templates provided below are scaled to size (8.5 x 11 paper). They can be printed and used to create sizing templates to be used by workers on the wash and pack lines.

The accompanying PowerPoint PDF found below, Making the Grade: Grading and Packing Fresh Produce, will give growers an overview of what buyers are looking for and why. Selling wholesale isn't for every grower and having the information to make these important decisions is crucial. 

For more information within the Cornell Vegetable Program region of WNY, contact Robert Hadad.

Other resources are United States Standards and Grades, Purdue Agriculture - Illustrated Guides to Grading Vegetables, and UC Davis Produce Quality Rating Scales and Color Charts - Postharvest Technology Center.



Bell Pepper: U.S. Fancy (pdf; 494KB)

Bell Pepper: U.S. No. 1 (pdf; 588KB)

Bell Pepper: U.S. No. 2 (pdf; 585KB)

Broccoli (pdf; 577KB)

Brussels Sprouts (pdf; 479KB)

Cauliflower (pdf; 569KB)

Cucumber: U.S. Fancy (pdf; 518KB)

Cucumber: U.S. Large (pdf; 517KB)

Cucumber: Slicers (pdf; 586KB)

Eggplant (pdf; 559KB)

Potatoes (pdf; 512KB)

Tomaotes (pdf; 481KB)

Zucchini and Summer Squash (pdf; 719KB)

Set of All Vegetable Sizing Templates (pdf; 3996KB)
  • Download this file if you wish to have 1 file containing all 13 templates


Making the Grade: Grading and Packing Fresh Produce (PPT) (pdf; 1016KB)

more crops
Asparagus

Asparagus

Beets

Beets

Broccoli

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Cabbage

Carrots

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cauliflower

Cucumbers

Cucumbers

Dry Beans

Dry Beans

Eggplant

Eggplant

Ethnic Vegetables

Ethnic Vegetables

Garlic

Garlic

Horseradish

Horseradish

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Leeks

Lettuce / Leafy Greens

Lettuce / Leafy Greens

Melons

Melons

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Onions

Onions

Parsnips

Parsnips

Peas

Peas

Peppers

Peppers

Potatoes

Potatoes

Pumpkins / Gourds

Pumpkins / Gourds

Radishes

Radishes

Rhubarb

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Rutabaga

Snap Beans

Snap Beans

Squash - Summer

Squash - Summer

Squash- Winter

Squash- Winter

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Turnips

more crops
view calendar of events

Upcoming Events

2026 NYS Processing Vegetable Educational Meeting

Event Offers DEC Credits

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.

View 2026 NYS Processing Vegetable Educational Meeting Details

Virtual Asparagus School

Event Offers DEC Credits

March 17, 2026

Join us to dive deep on growing asparagus! Bringing together experts from the Cornell Vegetable Program, Michigan State University, OMAFA (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Agribusiness), and industry, featuring a panel of growers. 

View Virtual Asparagus School Details

Postharvest Water Management, Sanitation, and Traceability Workshop

Event Offers DEC Credits

March 18, 2026
Albion, NY

Cornell University personnel from the National GAPs Program and the Produce Safety Alliance are presenting a workshop on postharvest water management, sanitation, and traceability. This workshop will include a mix of short talks and hands-on activities to provide attendees with applied experience with sanitation, postharvest water, and traceability topics. 

2.75 NYSDEC CEU's in categories 10, 1a, and 23 available.

View Postharvest Water Management, Sanitation, and Traceability Workshop Details

Announcements

2025 Year in Review

Our 2025 Year in Review and 2026 Preview report highlights some of the many research and educational programs led by our team in 2025. Plus, we provide a sneak peek at some of our plans for 2026!
  • Integrating Laser Weeders into Muck Onion Production
  • Cornell Vegetable Program Advances Cover Crop Research
  • New, Interactive Pesticide Safety Programming Protects Farmer Health
  • Specialty Potato Variety Trial Tests Varieties During a Hot Growing Season
  • Mushroom Enthusiasm Grows
  • Equipping Sweet Corn Growers for an Emerging Disease: Tar Spot
  • Farm Food Safety Educational Outreach
  • Sustainable Pest Management for New York Urban Farmers
  • In 2026...


Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines Paused

From Cornell IPM:

Highlighting its commitment to quality and long-term sustainability, Cornell Integrated Pest Management's Pesticide Safety Education Program has announced a pause in production of the 2026 Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines.

Cornell IPM Director Alejandro Calixto said this temporary measure is the result of a comprehensive reimagining process facilitated by Illume Projects of Ithaca, which included end-user interviews, internal surveys and sales data analytics.

"It became clear to us that we cannot continue producing the guidelines and fully restructure them at the same time," Calixto said. "By pausing production, we can dedicate all available resources and time to rebuilding the production process, ensuring that when we re-launch in 2027, the guidelines will reflect a modernized approach built around the grower and other user experience."

A series of annually updated reference manuals produced by Cornell IPM and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), the Cornell Crop and Pest Management Guidelines are widely used by farmers, agronomists, crop consultants and extension educators in New York and throughout the Northeast. They include information about current IPM recommendations, pesticide options, cultural practices, nutrient management, disease, insect and weed identification and resistance-management strategies.

Calixto and Pesticide Safety Education Program Lead Mike Helms will spearhead efforts to restructure the guideline process over the next 12 months, with a goal of launching a more streamlined, user-friendly version in 2027.

Limited copies of the 2025 guidelines remain available for purchase while supplies last through The Cornell Store. The 2026-2027 Greenhouse Guidelines will be available.

For more information contact Helms at mjh14@cornell.edu.


NEWSLETTER  |   CURRENT PROJECTS  |   IMPACT IN NY  |   SPONSORSHIP  |   RESOURCES  |   SITE MAP