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 1,038 handling facilities.

• For more information, see the Documentation.
• For 2007 data, see Procurement Data 2007.

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 Alaska/Hawaii ... Hawaii Appalachia ... North Carolina ... Tennessee ... Virginia Corn Belt ... Illinois ... Indiana ... Iowa ... Missouri ... Ohio Delta States ... Arkansas Lake States ... Michigan ... Minnesota ... Wisconsin Mountain ... Arizona ... Colorado ... Idaho ... Montana ... Nevada ... New Mexico ... Utah Northeast ... Connecticut ... Maine ... Maryland ... Massachusetts ... New Hampshire ... New Jersey ... New York ... Pennsylvania ... Vermont Northern Plains ... Kansas ... Nebraska ... North Dakota ... South Dakota Pacific ... California ... Oregon ... Washington Southeast ... Florida ... Georgia Southern Plains ... Texas
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All Commodities Combined in National Totals 2004

Basic characteristics of handlers Range of number of handlers    over 40  Function 1/ 2/ Manufacturers/processors 52% All other functions 33% All handlers Manufacturer/processor All other functions Size of firm 3/ Percent of handlers 4/ Small 58% 59% 60% Medium 33% 33% 31% Large 9% 7% 9% Operational characteristics Converted or expanded to organic from conventional 77% 76% 69% Began as an organic facitlity or mix 23% 24% 31% Handles both organic and nonorganic products 83% 80% 79% Handles only organic products 17% 20% 21% 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) 38% 38% 40% Buys locally (more than half) 23% 22% 20% Buys regionally (within the State or surrounding States)  (any amount) 50% 55% 51% Buys regionally (more than half) 31% 32% 28% Buys nationally (any amount) 46% 49% 45% Buys nationally (more than half) 29% 28% 27% Buys internationally (any amount) 35% 35% 42% Buys internationally (more than half) 20% 19% 26% Type of sales arrangement Formal contract(written) 58% 60% 57% Informal contract (e.g., handshake or verbal) 38% 41% 41% Spot market 48% 52% 53% Type of suppliers Growers 54% 54% 63% Marketing or growers' cooperative 19% 19% 21% Manufacturer/wholesaler 52% 57% 50% Agents/brokers 28% 31% 27% Assistance offered to suppliers Recruits existing organic suppliers 42% 43% 51% Works with organic suppliers in business for less than 1 year 32% 33% 40% Provides technical advice on organic standards or production 31% 32% 40% Works with suppliers to increase production 32% 31% 41% Accepts shipments that are less than a full carload 36% 37% 46% Assists farmers with transitioning into organic 34% 35% 45% 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 97% 2% 1% 1% 97% 1% 1% 1% 96% 2% 1% 1% Product specifications for packaging and merchandising 50% 20% 25% 5% 48% 22% 26% 5% 51% 21% 22% 6% Testing to verify product claims (e.g., free of genetically modified organisms) 25% 27% 42% 6% 27% 27% 40% 6% 25% 29% 40% 6% Third party food safety certification 19% 24% 48% 9% 17% 25% 48% 9% 17% 25% 50% 9% Uniform product standards (e.g., size standards) 35% 20% 38% 7% 35% 21% 36% 7% 32% 22% 37% 8% Minimum quality standards 62% 14% 18% 5% 60% 16% 17% 6% 61% 14% 17% 9% Minimum quantity for shipments 25% 32% 36% 8% 23% 35% 35% 7% 22% 31% 36% 11% Certifications for other attributes (e.g., kosher, fair trade) 34% 25% 35% 6% 36% 25% 34% 5% 28% 30% 32% 9% 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) 37% 23% 18% 22% 39% 24% 19% 18% 33% 25% 17% 25% Knowledge of organic products 57% 28% 8% 7% 58% 28% 9% 6% 60% 26% 7% 8% Length of relationship with my facility 31% 36% 19% 14% 29% 37% 21% 13% 36% 34% 15% 14% Length of time certified organic 14% 33% 33% 19% 12% 32% 37% 19% 17% 36% 30% 18% Diversity of products available 19% 26% 29% 27% 16% 25% 33% 27% 22% 30% 24% 24% Availability of year-round supply 49% 19% 15% 17% 52% 19% 15% 14% 44% 21% 17% 18% Flexibility in meeting facility's needs 50% 32% 8% 10% 51% 33% 9% 7% 51% 31% 9% 10% Reputation for quality 70% 21% 3% 6% 70% 23% 3% 5% 74% 18% 3% 5% Price 45% 40% 8% 7% 45% 43% 7% 5% 43% 42% 7% 8%

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.