MARKET
Western Colorado/Utah:
Don Ed Holmes with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, told us on December 13 that his Colorado shipments are finished. “We are all done in Colorado,” Don Ed said. “Utah is running strong! We only have yellows left, so we should be finished by Christmas.”
Idaho-E. Oregon/Washington:
Jason Pearson with Eagle Eye Produce in Nyssa, OR, told us on December 13 that demand this week is very busy. “This week’s demand is crazy,” Jason said. “I have to be honest; we are overrun with orders!” Jason commented on the market. “Seriously, buyers have to get their orders in, or they simply are not going to get any onions for the Christmas holiday. It’s that simple. Buyers are looking for jumbo and medium yellows. Red sales are good, and you can forget about whites; they are non-existent for the holiday rush.” Jason talked about the market. “Every day the market is climbing, and these price increases are likely to continue well into January, and then we’ll see what happens, but we are very encouraged, which is great for our growers.” Jason also commented on freight. “We are getting the trucks. They are expensive, but that’s nothing new.”
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms in Salem, OR, told us on December 13 that demand has been extremely high this week. “Basically, with export demand and Christmas demand being very good, holiday sales are better than I expected. Buyers want jumbo yellows and medium yellows, too. Whites are a non-issue, because good luck finding any. I have been doing this for 30 years, and I have to say, this December has surprised me because the last several holidays haven’t been really over the top, but this season’s demand is high, and the market is shooting up daily. For instance, this week, there will only be scraps available by the end of the week, and if you want to get a truck on the road Monday or Tuesday of next week and you don’t have your orders in by Thursday or Friday, you may as well forget it, because it’s not going to happen. Furthermore, some buyers think they might get something better later at a cheaper price and cancel their orders, which is not a good idea. Frankly, it isn’t very smart. It won’t work.” John also commented about freight, “Aside from weather delays, it’s not too bad. Trucks are out there, so no worries.”
Northwest/Peru:
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing reported this week from his Walla Walla, WA sales office. “We had a great Thanksgiving regarding sales and movement,” Dan said. “Right now, movement is good, and pricing is strong, so not too much to complain about. Looking at our Peru program, sales have been very good, and pricing has been good as well. It does look like there is a potential for the Peru onion shipments to end early, but our customers are aware of that.” He continued about the market, “The market seems to be pushing up, and of course, that’s welcome by all of us, right? We’ll have to see how things go into January, and it’s expected that we will have some availability of onions from Mexico in January. We’ll know more as we get closer to harvest time.”
Idaho-E. Oregon:
Chris Woo (who prefers to be called Chris “Kringle” in December) provided an update on Treasure Valley on December 13. “Onion demand for all colors has steadily increased due to Christmas,” Chris said. “Not only for our fine domestic customers but Canada and Mexico are also buying heavily.” Chris continued about the current market: “With high demand, pricing has continued to climb as well. We usually see a price push after the first part of the year, but now, this makes for a nice situation for shed and grower returns to offset increased farming and production costs. It’s kind of a nice early Christmas present with demand and the market. I had originally thought this period might be setting us up for a big lump of coal, but I am pleased that there will be mistletoe in great abundance, and I am taking full advantage of it.” Chris (Kringle) ended his report with, “Merry Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!”
Idaho/Washington/Oregon:
Rick Greener with Greener Produce provided his report on December 13. “Well, it’s a big week for demand,” Rick said. “We are moving onions out of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and I have to say everyone is out there trying to find onions. It’s tight out there. There are shippers already sold out for the week. There is holiday demand, but Mexico is pulling hard, and there is Canada, Panama, and Japan.” Rick commented on the market. “The market is strong, and if you are looking for onions this week, don’t get sticker shock,” Rick laughed. “Seriously, you might be getting price day-of-ship, and that’s how this is going right now. It’s tight all over for everything.” Rick noted that freight’s not bad. “We can get the trucks we need, and everyone already knows about the rates, so really it’s not a problem.”
Organic Onions
Brad Sumner with Pacific Coast Trading Co. in Portland provided his report on December 13. “Demand is very normal and a little surprising with the upcoming holiday.” He said, “As I say this, however, we could get nailed with orders today, tomorrow, and Friday. All colors are moving at their percentage paces. Whites will get short in January and reds in February. We will look towards our growers South of border sooner rather than later.” He commented on quality, “Quality is as good as the shed packing. This time of year, and into the new year there is always going to be more shrink. If our sheds continue to pack their quality packs all will be well..” About the market, he commented, “Red market is slowly on the rise and the white market should see some added life soon. Yellow and sweet market will remain steady well into the new year.” On transportation, he noted, “I have heard extra trucks up North with less freight available and Christmas trees done. Next week should be tighter because drivers want to home for the holidays.” Brad ended his report with, “Merry Christmas Everyone!!!”
CROP
Texas/Mexico:
David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen, TX, told us on December 13. “Both Mexico and Texas crops are in the ground and growing,” David said. “Nothing looks to be early or late, and both crops don’t appear to be large or small, just the norm. Our projected start in Tampico is late January, and Texas should start about 6-8 weeks later.”
Don Ed Holmes with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, told us on December 13 about his Mexico program. “Mexico looks like we might have light supplies the first week in February,” Don Ed said.
California:
Mike Smythe provided a crop report for West Valley Packing on December 13. “Most onions have been planted for West Valley Packing for this season,” Mike said. “This includes organics, conventional, and the flat sweet yellows. On some acres of the organics, we changed the spacing. We hope to increase the number of medium onions we will pack this season. The acreage is pretty much the same; the start date is expected to be on time around mid-April. This week, we received calls asking about contract pricing for 2024. A strong onion market in the Pacific NW will help set some pricing moving forward.”
