MARKET
Bronx, NY:
Lou Getzelman with Canyon Sales Co. on the Hunts Point Market told us on May 22, “Demand seems pretty steady this week in NY,” Lou said. “There’s been good movement ahead of the holiday. The yellow market is unchanged here from last week, and we are still shipping onions from the Northwest, Georgia, and California, with Texas being pretty much finished now.” He continued, “There’s a pretty big price disparity in new crop versus old crop, so we are still seeing quite a bit of old crop onions in the New York market. The red market is still very short, there isn’t much left in Georgia and California and Mexico aren’t really producing small ones. It could make for an increase in red retail packages, which are already very expensive.” On transportation, Lou said, “Freight is restored back to normal levels that we have seen this week after the DOT week last week.”
Mexico/California/Vidalia, GA:
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing reported this week from his Walla Walla, WA sales office. “The spring season is going well, and we don’t have much to complain about,” Dan said. “We had good quality out of Mexico and with shipments coming out of the Imperial Valley. Vidalia is almost finished with their fresh shipments, and it looks like their storages will be full to service customers through the summer, and that’s good. The key is to manage all the quick transitions and to get trucks where they need to go. You need to have your roller skates on, and we’re managing to keep our customers in onions.” He continued on the market. “Again, not much to complain about in the market. The red market is very strong, and sweet onions have good pricing. Yellows and whites are moving along steadily, so of course, we’ll be looking forward to our Walla Walla crop, and as we get closer to harvest, we’ll have more to share on that crop.”
Imperial Valley, CA/Washington:
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms in Salem, OR, told us on May 22, saying, “Demand is decent this week,” John said, “I think the way people’s habits on celebrating holidays have changed enough that we don’t really have true holiday pulls anymore. It’s just normal business. We’re still shipping a very limited amount out of Washington, and most of the loads are coming out of the Imperial Valley, CA. Things are going well out the Imperial Valley. Everyone wants jumbo reds, but you had better be prepared to be flexible when ordering. Basically, you get the amount you get when you can get it.” John added, “We’re still looking to go between June 5-7 before moving up to Five Points, CA. If we’ve had any minor issues, they’ve all been self-inflicted wounds. I mean, think about it. You have two months to harvest and ship onions with forty workers who may have not had any training, and you put them on equipment and say, “Here, have at it.” In the meantime, you have 40 trucks lined up. The bottom line is, we’re getting it done.” On the market, John said, “The market on reds is high and will probably stay that way until at least July. The market on yellows has firmed up, and whites are tricky because Mexico is shipping whites and there is a struggle there because some buyers want US product and others don’t mind where the source is.” He continued, “As usual, buyers have been trying to force buying colors and sizes at prices that work for them. Growers and shippers are pushing back. The key here is to have a meeting in the middle somewhere where everyone can be satisfied, and that’s not easy.”
Calipatria, CA:
Matt Murphy with L&M Cos. in Raleigh, NC, provided his report on May 22. “We are shipping exclusively out of Calipatria right now,” Matt said. “We’ll be shipping out of there for the next couple of weeks. We’ve had an excellent run there. Quality has been excellent, and the weather has cooperated well. It’s been in the 60s at night which is cooler than normal and has helped us out quite a bit. We are also in good shape color-wise because we have a pretty good supply of reds in mediums and jumbo sizes. So, we are leveraging our reds in mixer loads to move our yellows and whites, and that’s been working well for us. Particularly when we can keep the shipments here on the west side of the country.” Matt continued on about the market. “Of course, there is good money on reds, “We anticipate finishing harvest on Wednesday, June 5. After finishing in Calipatria, we’ll move up to Bakersfield and start-up there the week of the 10th through the 15th.” Matt commented on the market, saying, “Of course, the market is great on reds, and it’s holding on yellows, and it’s a little sluggish on whites. On transportation, it’s been easy for us. I say that because we haven’t had any late arrivals or delays with loading. Things are going smoothly, and we’re loading mostly reefers. Overall, we are really pleased with how our spring/summer programs are shaping up.”
Texas/California/Vidalia, GA:
Jason Pearson with Eagle Eye Produce in Nyssa, OR, told us on May 22“Demand is a little off this week, which is no surprise,” Jason said, “If you didn’t get your orders in for the holiday, its too late and it’s the week of the two’s so this is all pretty typical. Program business is mostly reds and yellows. Currently we are shipping out of California, Vidalia, GA, and we’ll be adding New Mexico in the next three weeks. The onions coming out of the Imperial Valley have had great quality and after Memorial Day, we’ll start shipping out of Bakersfield.” Jason continued on about the market, “The market on reds is high and in short supply. The yellow market is steady and the white market is all over the place!” When asked about the transportation, Jason said, “It’s expensive, but easy getting trucks.”
California/Mexico/Texas:
Rick Greener with Greener Produce in Ketchum, ID provided his report on May 22. “Demand is decent this week,” Rick said. “I don’t think there was a big pull for the holiday. It seems like May was typical onion sales. We are shipping out of California, Arizona, and Mexico. It seems like the smaller onions are in the most demand. Reds are on fire. Buyers are looking for medium or jumbos in both yellows and reds. They want Colossals too.” On the market, Rick said, “The market is high on reds and is steady as she goes on yellows and man, it is all over the board on whites. We hope we will have more red availability when New Mexico comes on, but we’ll see.”
CROP
Walla Walla:
Michael Locati with Locati Farms and Pacific Agra Farms told us on May 22 that 2024 Walla Walla Sweets are coming along well. “The crop is looking good,” he said. “We got another rain event last night, so that helps.” Michael added, “It looks like we will be getting into some steady growing weather in the next week or two, which should give us a start date. Looking like Father’s Day at this point – but that could always change.” Michael said he expects his Walla Walla Sweet Rosés, a beautiful red Walla Walla Sweet, to start shipping in limited supplies in late June or early July.
Idaho-E. Oregon:
Jason Pearson with Eagle Eye Produce in Nyssa, OR, told us on May 22, “The Idaho-E. Oregon crop is doing well. We just need some heat units to get the growth going and we’ll be fine. It’s still early. We’ll have more information as we get into summer.”
