This data table is from the organic handlers procurement data, which provides information such as handler operational and purchasing characteristics. Procurement data include information on 9 commodity groups and 45 commodities at the national, regional, and/or State level from 1,013 handling facilities.

• For more information, see the Documentation.
• For 2004 data, see Procurement Data 2004.

Tip: Select a commodity first, then a location.
Commodity:	Location:
All Commodities Combined Coffee, Tea, Cocoa ... Cocoa ... Coffee ... Tea Dairy ... Cheese ... Milk and Milk Products (except cheese) Fibers Fruits and Tree Nuts ... Apples/Pears ... Berries ... Citrus ... General Fruit (not specified) ... Grapes ... Nuts ... Other Misc. Fruit ... Stone Fruit Greenhouse/Nursery, Seeds, Mushrooms, Herbs/Extracts ... Essential Oils/Essences/Extracts ... Greenhouse/Nursery Products ... Herbs and Spices ... Honey/Maple Syrup ... Mushrooms ... Other Greenhouse/Nursery Etc. ... Seeds Livestock Oilseeds/Grains/Legumes/Feed ... Barley ... Beans (not soy) ... Cane ... Corn ... Flax ... General/Mixed Grains (unspecified) ... Oats ... Oil and Oilseeds (except soy) ... Other Misc. Grains ... Rice ... Soybean and Soy ... Spelt ... Wheat Poultry and Eggs ... Eggs ... Poultry Vegetables and Melons ... Cabbage/Cauliflower/Broccoli ... Carrots ... General Vegetables (not specified) ... Lettuce and Greens ... Onions/Garlic ... Other Misc. Vegetables ... Peppers ... Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes ... Squash ... Tomatoes	National Totals Corn Belt Lake States Mountain Northeast ... New York Pacific ... California ... Oregon ... Washington
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Apples/Pears in National Totals 2007

Basic characteristics of handlers Range of number of handlers    over 40  Function 1/ 2/ Manufacturers/processors 56% All other functions 51% All handlers Manufacturer/ processor All other functions Size of firm 3/ Percent of handlers 4/ Small 53% 64% 51% Medium 36% 28% 40% Large 11% 8% 9% Operational characteristics Converted or expanded to organic from conventional 63% 63% 67% Began as an organic or mixed facitlity 37% 38% 33% Handles both organic and nonorganic products 85% 83% 86% Handles only organic products 15% 17% 14% Purchasing characteristics of handlers  All handlers Manufacturer/ processor All other functions Geography of purchasing 5/ Percent of handlers Buys locally (within one hour's drive) (any amount) 61% 55% 74% Buys locally (more than half) 28% 25% 35% Buys regionally (within the State or surrounding States)  (any amount) 64% 55% 74% Buys regionally (more than half) 28% 28% 29% Buys nationally (any amount) 65% 65% 62% Buys nationally (more than half) 45% 48% 35% Buys internationally (any amount) 30% 28% 32% Buys internationally (more than half) 4% 5% 3% Type of sales arrangement Formal contract (written) 56% 46% 58% Informal contract (e.g., handshake or verbal) 39% 44% 39% Spot market 54% 62% 50% Type of suppliers Growers 71% 63% 83% Marketing or growers' cooperative 28% 24% 28% Manufacturer/wholesaler 47% 51% 42% Agents/brokers 44% 54% 36% Assistance offered to suppliers Works with organic suppliers in business for less than 1 year 40% 32% 44% Provides technical advice on organic standards or production 41% 32% 47% Works with suppliers to increase production 33% 18% 44% Accepts shipments that are less than a full carload 38% 42% 34% Provides financial assistance/cost share with certification costs 9% 5% 11% Provides financial assistance with transition to organic 6% 5% 6% Characteristics of the handler-supplier relationship All handlers Manufacturer/processor All other functions Always Sometimes Never Don't know Always Sometimes Never Don't know Always Sometimes Never Don't know Supplier requirements Percent of handlers Organic certificates 99% 1% 0% 0% 97% 3% 0% 0% 97% 3% 0% 0% Product specifications for packaging and merchandising 35% 30% 32% 3% 47% 25% 25% 3% 19% 38% 41% 3% Testing to verify product claims (e.g., free of genetically modified organisms) 70% 12% 12% 6% 63% 16% 16% 5% 74% 9% 12% 6% Third party food safety certification 29% 40% 23% 8% 34% 34% 21% 11% 19% 53% 25% 3% Uniform product standards (e.g., size standards) 56% 21% 22% 2% 57% 16% 24% 3% 48% 29% 23% 0% Minimum quality standards 27% 27% 41% 5% 28% 28% 42% 3% 19% 31% 44% 6% Minimum quantity for shipments 40% 20% 35% 5% 41% 11% 43% 5% 33% 30% 33% 3% Certifications for other attributes (e.g., kosher, fair trade) 32% 32% 32% 3% 32% 27% 38% 3% 27% 36% 33% 3% All handlers Manufacturer/processor All other functions High priority Medium priority Low priority No difference High priority Medium priority Low priority No difference High priority Medium priority Low priority No difference Ranking of Supplier Attributes Percent of handlers Local (near my facility) 39% 23% 18% 20% 46% 22% 14% 19% 41% 21% 24% 15% Knowledge of organic products 55% 41% 3% 2% 51% 46% 0% 3% 62% 35% 3% 0% Length of relationship with my facility 38% 31% 25% 6% 33% 33% 25% 8% 47% 26% 24% 3% Length of time certified organic 17% 40% 33% 10% 21% 41% 29% 9% 15% 41% 35% 9% Diversity of products available 9% 44% 28% 19% 3% 44% 36% 17% 15% 42% 24% 18% Availability of year-round supply 39% 23% 22% 16% 50% 22% 22% 6% 24% 24% 24% 27% Flexibility in meeting facility's needs 56% 35% 3% 6% 64% 31% 0% 6% 43% 43% 6% 9% Reputation for quality 61% 32% 5% 3% 61% 28% 6% 6% 60% 34% 3% 3% Price 39% 49% 6% 6% 51% 46% 0% 3% 29% 51% 11% 9%

N/A = Not available, not applicable, or not reportable for reasons of confidentiality (fewer than three respondents).
1/ Firms often reported more than one function; responses from a single firm may be reported in both the “Manufacturer/processor” and “All other functions” columns. Thus, summing across functions often exceeds 100 percent.
2/ Non-responses to all questions are not reported.
3/ Respondents self-identified their firm size as small, medium, or large.
4/ See the Documentationfor how the percentages are calculated.
5/ See the Documentationfor an indepth discussion on geography of purchasing.