NORTHERN COLORADO:
Ryan Fagerberg at Fagerberg Produce/Fagerberg Farms in Eaton told OnionBusiness.com gave us this report on July 25: “We are very busy right now – in a good way. The weather has cooperated this summer, and we have already started harvesting onions. We will have all colors and sizes, including our ‘Colorado Sweet,’ available on Monday, Aug. 1.” Ryan also said that pyruvic acid tests came back at 3.8, “indicating that this year’s sweet crop is very mild. Size profile is slightly larger than last year.”
IDAHO-E. OREGON:
Grant Kitamura of Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, said the region has had ideal growing conditions this season and there have been no issues affecting quality. Irrigation has been discontinued for the early onions, and weather has been conducive to finishing and drying, he said. “We are ahead of schedule by about a week,” Grant said, adding that Murakami will start shipping with good volume on Aug. 8. Murakami will start with yellows, followed by reds and whites toward the end of August. Grant said, “This early crop has a very large size profile, and we have a large percentage of colossals. And the quality is absolutely excellent.”
CALIFORNIA:
Robert Bell of Western Onion in Caramillo told us Western Onion will start contract harvesting organics out of Cuyama Valley mid- to late August, with harvest running for six weeks. He said quality reports from growers in Cuyama are good so far.
