PMA Slideshow Days 3 and 4

ERS report - use of contracts in the supply chain

Look for the new USDA ERS report on the organic supply chain:


Rapid growth in the organic foods market has placed great pressure on farmers and handlers in the U.S. organic sector. Handlers are firms that produce, process, and distribute organic food. As the middlemen in the supply chain, organic handlers have been unable at times to provide as much of their final product as the market wants and have also found needed ingredients in short supply. An Economic Research Service survey of certified organic handlers in the United States collected information on those intermediaries’ marketing and procurement practices for 2004. The data reveal that handlers widely use contracts as a means to not only procure needed ingredients but also to develop and maintain strong working relationships with their suppliers. Only a few organic handlers, however, have worked to assist farmers directly with farmers’ transition to organic production.

Winding down

Exhibitors are generally happy with the PMA show. Some have noted that buyers have perhaps trimmed down the list of who they sent this year, but exhibitors have seen everyone they wanted or expected to see. One exhibitor said Safeway wasn't too visible... Talk continues about the third day of the show, with one offering if the Friday-Saturday-Sunday format would be best.

Well over 17,000 attended the show from 61 countries, with 3,700 buyers among the throng, says PMA.


One exhibitor said it cost him close to $50,000 to exhibit and attend at the show with his team, but it was worth to him if he gets just one new customer.

How will trade show attendance sort itself out in 2009? Given the current economic climate, look for even more scrutiny of the costs of attending and exhibiting.

Still writing

Ksenia Evdokimova, market representative for USA Pears, apples and grapes in Russia, visits with Kevin Moffitt, president of Pear Bureau Northwest, Milwaukie, Ore.

Fueled by caffeine, I continue to work on stories and briefs from the PMA. More introspection will be offered later. It was good to see Ksenia and the Russian delegation of importers at the PMA.