Featured image: New Zealand onion crop. Photo courtesy of Mike Blake with New Zealand Onion Co. Ltd. Check out the New Zealand crop update published this week.
MARKET
Organic Onions
Brad Sumner with Pacific Coast Trading Co. in Portland provided his report on November 13. “Once again steady organic onion markets,” Brad said. “Good supply and quality have led to smooth sailing as of late. Yellows organics seem a little softer but not by much. With everything tucked away now marketing plans go into effect.” He continued, “Holiday Ads and volume increases will help movement. January through June organic crop in Mexico and Southern CA is planted and ready for the winter over!” On freight, Brad said, “Trucks seem steady and normal.”
Colorado Western Slope/Corinne, UT:
Chuck Hill with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, said on November 13 his Western deals are going well, with the market stronger after a couple of sluggish weeks. “Everything is good,” he said. Yellow jumbos are seeing highest demand, and he added, “Prices are steady, and trucks are good. Whites seem to have better movement, and reds are doing well. Quality is great, too.” Colorado should go to the end of the year, and Utah a bit longer.
David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen, TX, reported to us on November 13 that his Colorado deal will wind down in the coming week. “We’re starting to wrap it up,” he said. “We will be done in in six or seven days, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.” David said, “The market has been deflated from the last few years.”
Idaho-E. Oregon:
Steve Baker with Baker & Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, told us on November 13, saying, “The quality and the appearance of the onions we’re packing continues to look very nice,” Steve said. “Demand has been steady this week. I can’t say as of Wednesday that we have really seen any extra business because of Thanksgiving. Nothing has changed much for us except some increase demand for whites from Mexico. So, white onions continue to be in tight supply with this increased export business.” Regarding the market, Steve commented, “The prices on whites are defiantly higher than last week. Prices on yellows and reds have shown a slight increase this week from last week.” On transportation, Steve noted, “With the weather turning colder flatbeds aren’t being used very often. Truck transportation has gotten tighter with the increase pressure on loading reefers.”
Washington/Oregon/Idaho:
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms in Salem, OR, told us on November 13, saying, “Demand has been good this week,” John said, “It’s definitely above normal. The price seems to be following. It could be the holiday push, but with the way onion purchasing has changed over the years, it could be that people are just filling up.” John continued, “Last week, it seemed like prices were somewhat flexible. This week, prices have firmed up. That applies to reds and yellows. It’s a little different on whites. For those that had a limited supply of whites, those are supplies are ending. Those with ample supplies of whites, they will continue to see an active market. Exports have helped in this regard, but now the prices are getting high enough that we may see export buyers start to back off.” John added, “I really have to say that the shippers we work with are doing an awesome job of packing. The quality going in the bag is great and that certainly helps the market situation too.” Finally on transportation, John said, “Transportation is getting ugly. Due to the weather, trucks have been getting held up in Wyoming and other routes. If a truck misses their arrival date, it’s a problem because chances are they’ll miss they’re time to reload. It gets extremely dicey.”
Idaho/Washington/Oregon/Utah/North Dakota/Michigan
Rick Greener with Greener Produce in Ketchum, ID told us on November 13 that demand has been good this week. “We continue to move Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah, North Dakota, and Michigan,” Rick said. “It could be the start of holiday business, but honestly, it could be buyers wanting to get a jump in front of what looks to be a pricey scenario getting teed up on freight. And if you aren’t trying to get a jump on it, if I were you, I would be. Just since last week, the FOBs are higher and its only going to get worse.” On the market, Rick commented, “Whites are on the rise. Reds are holding firm, and yellows seem to be stable right now. The good news is, quality is great and we’ve had good deliveries.” He concluded his report saying, “Remember, we have boilers, Cipollinis and pearls, so come and get ‘em!”
CROP
S. Texas/Mexico:
Chuck Hill with The Onion House in Weslaco told us on November 13 both Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley have finished planting. When asked about the water situation for the U.S. side, he said, “It’s really all still in limbo.”
David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen said Tampico had all its onions in the ground, and growers in the Rio Grande Valley will be finished planting in a matter of days. David also said the water situation in S. Texas remains a concern, noting that acreage will likely be down this year due to the water shortage.
