Cost Calculator: Three Basin Produce Washing
Robert Hadad, Extension Vegetable Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

Need to know how much it will cost to run a wash line for vegetable and adding sanitizers to the water? This spreadsheet that will give you the breakdown of costs based on the type of sanitizer chosen and will further provide how the costs are divided over each step of post-harvest washing and handling.
This spreadsheet is connected to the Sanitizer Dose Calculator. So start off with picking your sanitizer and the volume of your tanks/tubs/basins. The information given will also be kicked into the Cost Calculator for the 3 Basin Produce Washing tool. Follow the instructions for the green boxes and also add your salary per hour (or workers' pay per hour). This will provide the costs for each of the steps.
Cost Calculator_3 Basin Produce Washing (xlsx; 202KB)

Upcoming Events
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Chautauqua
July 14, 2026
Panama, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Allegany
July 15, 2026
Fillmore, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.
Pest Management for Small-Scale Growers
July 23, 2026
Rochester, NY
Join us for a hands-on field day exploring integrated pest management tools for small-scale growing spaces and the opportunity to build community with local growers! Learn the best practices for using row covers, biocontrols, trapping, and more.