Featured image: June 22, 2022, Idaho-E. Oregon crop progress, Ontario, OR, photo by Onionbusiness.com
MARKET
California/New Mexico:
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms reported in from his Salem, OR, office on June 22. “Demand is very good this week, but there aren’t many onions out there,” John said. “California is gapping, and New Mexico doesn’t have enough onions to supply the world this week. Because California received some thunder, lightning, and rain, it looks like Monday before they are going to be able to get going again. Even then, the onions are going to be a little green so buyers need to be aware that they need to get consumed. Quality has been excellent, but it is what it is and everyone needs to know what to expect.” John continued, “The market is a little surprising too because – don’t get me wrong; it’s a good market – the lack of availability should really be driving this thing up. When you think about it, it’s going to be a good two to three weeks before we get any Northwest over-winters, and I’m not sure where we are with transplant timing. But the fact is, there isn’t going to be a ton of onions out there, and the market should be responding to that.” When asked about transportation, John said, “Everyone has adjusted to the rates, and so the cost is no surprise. Things freight-wise are running more smoothly right now. We’ll have to see how that all plays out in the fall.”
New Mexico/Mexico:
James Johnson with Carzalia Valley Produce in Columbus told us on June 22 that after a slow start earlier to the season, “We are at 100 percent on all colors and sizes. Short day crop in Chihuahua is about to wrap up, with intermediate down there about two weeks off. I have heard of a few shippers in the area that have started to gap.” James added, “Monsoons have started early this year, and we’re seeing some rain delays already. This normally doesn’t happen until July so this could get interesting.”
Atlanta:
John Adams with John Adams Produce gave us this news-filled report on June 22: “Business is a little spotty right now. Pricing out of California has jumped this week, but there’s still some people in New Mexico that have some decent prices” John added, “I would think that going into a holiday I’d be a lot busier, but I also think next week I’ll see a dramatic change. Trucks are available, but the price is still high because of diesel availability. And all three colors are good if you want to pay the price.” He continued, “Weather in Georgia is in the high 90s, which means everything’s going to come in on a reefer. Hopefully, we see pricing structure drop next week.”
Vidalia:
G&R Farms in Glennville provided us with an update snippet, “The Vidalia season isn’t quite over, but we’ve been at it long enough to give you a little peek at what the process looks like from start to finish. Take a watch and check out G&R Farms in action.” And we received this link to the latest crop update on YouTube.
Danny Ray with Ray Farms, Inc. in Glennville, GA told us on June 22 that movement has been “excellent,” saying, “I really can’t say we’ve had a big pull for the July 4th holiday because we’ve had great demand all season.” He continued, “We got started off very good on reds, and then there was a lull, but demand on reds has spiked back up. We only have another week on reds. Yellow demand has been very good all along. If demand continues at this pace, we’ll be out by the end of July, but we’ll have to see what happens after the Fourth. Demand tends to drop off some after the holiday, but who knows – it might stay the same as it has been.” On the market, Danny said, it’s increased. “The market has increased a little this week. That’s not a huge surprise. Whenever we start shipping our storage stuff, the market always tends to increase, and this year we’ve had great quality all along.” When asked about transportation, Danny said, it’s been fairly easy to get trucks. “We can definitely get the trucks,” he said. “There might be a day or two delay, but there is no problem getting them.”
CROP
SE Colorado: Zach Mason with Zach Mason Farms in Fowler told us on June 22, “The onion crop is looking good. The high temps last week helped the thrip flair up, but they’re still at low levels and quite manageable.” He also said, “We’re looking forward to the much talked about monsoon moisture system approaching Colorado this weekend. Irrigation supply is adequate but only just. When it comes to water in southeast Colorado, we farmers are like the panhandlers at the stop lights – got our signs out saying, ‘Anything helps – God bless.’”
