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 ... Wisconsin Northeast ... Maine ... New York Pacific ... California ... Oregon
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Seeds in National Totals 2007

Basic characteristics of handlers Range of number of handlers    over 40  Function 1/ 2/ Manufacturers/processors 53% All other functions 67% All handlers Manufacturer/ processor All other functions Size of firm 3/ Percent of handlers 4/ Small 49% 42% 55% Medium 45% 54% 39% Large 6% 4% 6% Operational characteristics Converted or expanded to organic from conventional 70% 69% 71% Began as an organic or mixed facitlity 30% 31% 29% Handles both organic and nonorganic products 80% 88% 83% Handles only organic products 20% 12% 17% 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) 71% 69% 72% Buys locally (more than half) 21% 15% 19% Buys regionally (within the State or surrounding States)  (any amount) 73% 85% 72% Buys regionally (more than half) 35% 46% 38% Buys nationally (any amount) 69% 73% 72% Buys nationally (more than half) 46% 42% 47% Buys internationally (any amount) 27% 35% 28% Buys internationally (more than half) 0% 0% 0% Type of sales arrangement Formal contract (written) 57% 68% 55% Informal contract (e.g., handshake or verbal) 38% 40% 45% Spot market 64% 68% 71% Type of suppliers Growers 77% 76% 83% Marketing or growers' cooperative 18% 24% 13% Manufacturer/wholesaler 64% 76% 58% Agents/brokers 22% 32% 19% Assistance offered to suppliers Works with organic suppliers in business for less than 1 year 41% 46% 48% Provides technical advice on organic standards or production 38% 42% 44% Works with suppliers to increase production 47% 50% 45% Accepts shipments that are less than a full carload 36% 48% 42% Provides financial assistance/cost share with certification costs 12% 15% 12% Provides financial assistance with transition to organic 8% 12% 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 94% 4% 2% 0% 100% 0% 0% 0% 91% 6% 3% 0% Product specifications for packaging and merchandising 27% 9% 57% 7% 42% 13% 42% 4% 14% 11% 68% 7% Testing to verify product claims (e.g., free of genetically modified organisms) 57% 22% 20% 2% 64% 20% 12% 4% 60% 17% 20% 3% Third party food safety certification 24% 31% 43% 2% 32% 36% 32% 0% 19% 26% 52% 4% Uniform product standards (e.g., size standards) 58% 13% 27% 2% 77% 8% 12% 4% 50% 13% 37% 0% Minimum quality standards 40% 17% 43% 0% 50% 23% 27% 0% 32% 19% 48% 0% Minimum quantity for shipments 13% 26% 59% 2% 16% 32% 48% 4% 10% 23% 63% 3% Certifications for other attributes (e.g., kosher, fair trade) 29% 7% 61% 2% 36% 14% 45% 5% 23% 8% 65% 4% 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) 31% 23% 31% 15% 31% 27% 35% 8% 31% 25% 28% 16% Knowledge of organic products 58% 29% 4% 8% 62% 35% 4% 0% 56% 28% 3% 13% Length of relationship with my facility 30% 40% 17% 13% 28% 52% 16% 4% 28% 38% 16% 19% Length of time certified organic 11% 38% 34% 17% 16% 40% 40% 4% 9% 28% 38% 25% Diversity of products available 29% 27% 27% 17% 28% 28% 36% 8% 27% 21% 30% 21% Availability of year-round supply 53% 13% 21% 13% 65% 12% 19% 4% 35% 13% 32% 19% Flexibility in meeting facility's needs 42% 36% 11% 11% 56% 36% 8% 0% 27% 43% 13% 17% Reputation for quality 65% 27% 4% 4% 73% 27% 0% 0% 58% 30% 6% 6% Price 35% 50% 10% 4% 35% 65% 0% 0% 31% 47% 16% 6%

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.