38 
for the total cash farm value of all processed fruits and vegetables 
is not available. The USDA estimated farm value of processed vege- 
tables alone, however, amounted to $344.7 million in 1964. Vegetables 
accounted for 52.6 percent of the total tonnage of processed fruits 
and vegetables produced that year. 
Table 15 shows memberships of fruit and vegetable bargaining associations 
for different categories in 1964-65. Twenty-seven of 43 negotiating 
associations in 1964 reported 100 to 500 grower-members. Five associa- 
tions, those in the smallest category, had fewer than 50 members. Only 
seven associations had more than 500 members. There was no appreciable 
difference between fruit and vegetable associations with respect to 
the distribution among membership size groups. 
As a rule, bargaining associations operate on a small scale in compari- 
son to the size of processors with whom they deal. Distribution of 
associations by value of the bargained product in 1964 shows a concen- 
tration in the Sl to $2.5 million class (table 16). “Ine 1964 less 
than one-third of the total was larger than this most common size group. 
In order to negotiate effectively, a bargaining association must con- 
trol a substantial volume of product and also be able to command recog- 
nition from large-scale buyers. 
There are a few cases where bargaining groups control a large percentage 
of a product in a given geographic region. While these are exceptions, 
the amount of bargained product under association control usually ranges 
between 40 and 60 percent of the total. For products grown in several 
geographic regions, the share of the national supply under association 
control may be smaller. 
Table 15.--Memberships of fruit and vegetable bargaining associations, 
by size groups, 1964-65 
. . 
. . 
Number of members : Fruits : Vegetables : Total 
Number of associations 
Less than 100 5 4 9 
100-249 7 6 1B} 
250-499 8 6 14 
500-999 1 3 4 
1,000 and over 2 1 3 
Contributing further to the problem of cooperative bargaining is the 
lack of production control. Characteristically the associations nego- 
tiate contract terms and price on behalf of grower-members and leave 
