The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides statistics for organic production with the state of Florida. Within the state and as of 2008 there were 172 certified organic or exempt organic farms. The definition for an organic farm is: all farms and handling operations that display the "USDA Organic" seal must be certified by a State or private agency that ensures the National Organics Standards are followed. The definition of an exempt farm is; one that follows the National Organic Standards and has less than $5,000 in annual sales can be exempt from certification. These exempt farms can use the term "organic" but cannot use the "USDA Organic" seal. Of the 172 farms with the state 20 produced organic animal products. Of the 20 producing animal products, 5 were producing beef animals. In 2008 these 5 farms produced 53 beef animals and sold products from 23 head for total sales of $8,678. In comparison Florida vegetable producers in 2008 sold over 29 million dollars of organic labeled vegetables and melons, California farmers sold over 457 million dollars or organic vegetables and melons. Interestingly the primary production issue faced by Florida organic farms (36%) was regulatory problems