Washington:
Trish Lovell, sales manager at Agri-Pack LLC in Pasco, tells us that Washington shippers are still working on getting their storage onions in. “Agri-Pack has all onions under cover while we continue to work on potatoes.”
Trish says size profile of yellows is smaller but quality is excellent. “Though not the case with Agri-Pack’s supply, there have been reports from the area that some reds in Washington suffered severely due to the heat — so much so that some acres have had to be disked under. In light of this, there is anticipation of the red market will continue to increase. There has also been reports of quality issues with whites in the area, so the market on whites remains to be seen.”
IEO:
Chris Woo, sales manager at Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, says Murakami is “concentrating on harvest right now and getting all the onions in.” The market for all colors for this time of year is very good, and Chris says, “So far, the company is keeping up with demand. Quality is good because growers did a fantastic job addressing the hot weather and water issues.” Also, there are no anticipated concerns for storage long-term though the season, he says.
“The red market has been extremely good this week,” Chris adds.
Joe Esta, VP of sales at Wada Farms in Idaho Falls, tells us that “quality has been good for onions from IEO. Though there is a smaller size profile, that doesn’t seem to be impacting business. Pricing has been fair.” Joe also says that customers are expressing some concern that the market has been higher on reds, and they’ve also said they are “happy to make the switch to IEO from other areas, appreciating the quality of the new crop.”