Colorado: Paradigm Fresh potato and onion sales specialist Matt Murphy reported from his Fort Collins, CO, office on Sept. 1 that Colorado’s onion movement will continue to pick up steam as the season progresses. “We’re hearing that quality is good in this state,” Murphy said.
That assessment was echoed by Brett Bergmann, president of Florida-based Hugh Branch Inc. and sales agent for Sakata Farms in Brighton, CO. Bergmann said the Colorado farm had just started to harvest whites, but it wouldn’t start grading for another two to three weeks.
Columbia Basin: Paradigm’s Murphy said quality and supplies being sourced out of the Pacific Northwest’s Columbia Basin have remained good. “There aren’t a lot of big onions,” he said, adding that the Basin was finishing its fresh and short-term storage and would be going into long-term storage soon.
IEO: Ross Sevy at Champion Produce Sales in Parma, ID, said demand has been high this week, and as the company has been working to hit full stride, it was short on product as more comes in from the fields. Sevy said Champion is bringing in a lot of jumbos, with not as many mediums, colossal or super colossal. He said sizing on storage varieties remains to be seen, and next week will be a better indicator as storage onions start. The early crop has been excellent, and Ross said customers have been very happy.
In Weiser, ID, Herb Haun of Haun Packing said demand has been very high on larger sizes, jumbos and up. Herb noted that cooler weather has brought storage onions on a week early, and they will start on Sept. 8. He said a 60 percent chance of rain is in the forecast for Sept. 5, and “everyone in the Valley is going to look at bringing their storage crop in early.”