MARKET
Northwest/Peru:
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing reported in on December 18 from his Walla Walla, WA sales office. “Well, I’ll start out with our imports,” Dan said. “Demand has been good for Peruvian onions all along and this time of year, demand has been very good. The market has been steady and what we would expect.” Dan continued on dry onions out of the Northwest. “Movement has been on the stronger side for about the last six weeks and since about Thanksgiving, if you look at the ten-year average, as an industry overall, we have had we are doing better than average. We have had a good fall and winter so far. Dan continued, “With yellow onions, there seems to be good availability, and the market appears to be steady, we are in a good position going into the new year. The red market remains strong and there doesn’t seem to be much change there. White supplies appear to be shrinking so naturally the market is increasing which is no surprise. As an industry, we are in a good place for onion movement. The U.S. consumer and its varied demographic uses a lot of onions and our favorite vegetable is a staple now more than ever. It always helps to remember that!”
Organic Onions
Brad Sumner with Pacific Coast Trading Co. in Portland provided his report on December 18. “Seasons Greeting from Organic onion land,” Brad said. “Supply, Quality and market conditions are steady. Contracts are being serviced. Holiday ads are being filled. It’s the time of year when some shippers get a little nervous about inventory and movement and if you shop around, you can get some deals. Overall movement seems below average for the Christmas rush to me. This week will receive the bulk of orders as a Wednesday Christmas creates a logistical slowdown.” He continued, “We are loading our first organic white load this weekend from Mexico. Looking forward to seeing the quality. I have seen pictures and have been told all good, but its better to get it physically in house for a look. Organic crop is well under way in the Imperial Valley. Fields in the Antelope Valley are being readied for March, April initial planting dates.” Brad concluded his report with, “From my family to yours, have a very Merry Christmas!”
Colorado Western Slope:
Tim Bull with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, said on December 18 the Corinne, UT, deal has finished, and the Colorado Western Slope will be done next week, “Utah had a good season,” Tim said, adding that Colorado also saw good movement and demand.
Washington/Oregon/Idaho:
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms in Salem, OR, told us on December 18, saying, “We have been bust this week,” John said, “Buyers are trying to get what they need and then some. Of course, there has been a good holiday pull, but I think buyers are looking not to get stuck without onions if production times start getting tight over these mid-week holidays. Buyers that are on contract might be getting pushed back a little bit and ther is that to consider. Movement for this time of year has been very goo. The NOA numbers just came out and they are nearly identical to last year’s.” John continued, “The market really hasn’t changed much, and it will probably be about the same on all colors through the end of the year. When everyone gets back to their desks full time after the new year, there will be the big rush, as usual to get restocked, and we could see a market push sometime around mid- to late January. If it happens, that’s about the time it does. We just need to all stay calm and make good decisions for our growers so the market goes the way that’s best for them.” John also commented on transportation. “Freight has been bad, but Christmas trees have died down, so hopefully we’ll see more availability and lower rates. We still may have to deal with weather related issues, but we expect that each year.”
CROP
Tampico/Texas Rio Grande Valley:
Tim Bull with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, was visiting with grower Clayton Neuhaus when Onion Business called on December 18, and Clayton said the RGV crop is coming along well. “Everything looks good,” Tim added, saying the onions are on track for a mid-March start. Tampico, Tim said, is also growing well, and the season could kick off in late January.
Mexico:
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing reported in on December 18 from his Walla Walla, WA sales office. “We have just a small report on Mexico this week,” Dan said. “We are getting good reports in from Mexico, and it appears that the crop is normal. As growing seasons go, so far, so good. We’ll have more as we get closer.”