The Grading Services Section offers producers and processors a voluntary certification program for agricultural commodities including poultry, eggs, fruit, vegetables and grain.
Official certification provides a uniform basis for the marketing of agricultural commodities.
Buyers can be assured they are receiving commodities meeting their specifications for quality and other factors. Foreign countries, wholesale food suppliers, large grocery store chains, and state institutions, among others, often require official certification. The provision of a cost effective and service oriented grading program is crucial to Maryland producers competing in these markets. The quantity of poultry, eggs and grain graded did not change significantly from 1997 to 1998, however, the amount of fruit and vegetables graded increased from 8,746,859 pounds to 31,447,813 pounds. The change in fruit and vegetable certification was the result of an increase in the pounds of potatoes certified for export to Canada and the opening of a major fruit and vegetable distributor in Maryland.