Seems impossible, but 2020 is actually going into its final months. And our friend Megan Jacobsen with Gills Onions in Oxnard, CA, told us the end of this year’s onion harvest is flowing right into planting of 2021’s crop.
“Can you believe harvest is almost wrapped up and it is time to start planting for 2021?!” Megan said. “Our farming team has transitioned into our King City, CA, region, which supplies Gills Onions with our storage onions” And, she noted, “The 2020 season has gone very well. We are currently preparing to plant in Brawley, CA, in the coming weeks, and these onions will be harvested next April and May.” Megan provided a photo of Jose Cardona with Rio Farms showing onions from a King City field as harvest was going on in the background.
There’s no denying that the season was unique, she added. “COVID has changed the way all of us interact with our customers,” Megan said. “The push towards digital means big changes for the ag industry. At Gills Onions, we are ready to face any customer needs to help promote onions and the consumption of fresh produce. This past month, we have been working with our video production team to expand footage that will allow us to produce training videos for foodservice teams we work with every day. We always strive to be a resource for our valued customers and are excited to launch additional videos that will help them in the field working with restaurants.” One photo shows Steve Gill in the field being interviewed, and another shows the videographer filming the sliced lines at Gills.
And, Megan said, the company also hosted a virtual tour for California teachers in late September.
“On Saturday, Sept. 26, we had the wonderful opportunity to join the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom for its Annual Conference that went virtual this year. We gave more than 400 teachers a behind-the-scenes tour of Gills Onions. Steve Gill provided the tour and I answered questions after the tour live on Zoom,” she said. “Our team has a passion to educate consumers about where their food comes from, and we were thrilled to take part in this event.” Megan included a photo from her home office that shows the virtual tour and Steve Gill on her home screen.
