Featured image: Charles Wetegrove in Willacy County, Texas, courtesy of David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen, TX
MARKET
Idaho-E. Oregon /Washington:
Jason Pearson with Eagle Eye Produce in Nyssa, OR, told us that his sales office is staying busy. “We’ve pretty much wrapped up Thanksgiving, but we have a lot of program business, so we are keeping very busy this week,” Jason said on Nov. 18. “We are moving primarily yellows, but we have plenty of orders for reds and whites, too. Plus, we have fantastic quality coming out of both Eastern Oregon and Washington.” Jason said the market hasn’t changed. “Pricing is still the same and hasn’t changed for quite a while, so not much to comment on there. The other thing that hasn’t changed is this horrible freight situation, and it will be this way through the holidays. Basically, we all just have to look for trucks and load ‘em when we can get them. That’s just life, and we have to deal with it.”
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms reported from his Salem office on Nov. 18 and said, “Demand this week is only as good as the trucks you can find to load. Honestly, no matter who you talk to, sales everywhere are hampered by lack of available trucks and at reasonable rates. Believe me, everyone is feeling the burn of no Cold Connect.” He continued, “When we do find trucks, we are loading all normal holiday business. Yellow jumbos and colossal are leading, followed by the other colors and sizes. Though quality is very good, and we haven’t had any issues at all, I can’t emphasize enough how much freight is hurting the deal. Buyers are using every angle they can to get the onions they need at a decent price, but the only thing that’s going to help is if we get more drivers on the road. The ones we may have complained about in the past, but the ones we wish we had more of now.”
Idaho-E. Oregon:
Dan Phillips with Central Produce Distributors in Payette, ID, reported to us on Nov. 18 that demand is great this week. “We have quite a few of last-minute orders for Thanksgiving,” he said. “My whites and reds are tight, but really we are shipping every size and color, so business is good. The market remains steady. While we always hope for more, the market hasn’t changed for weeks now, so everything is holding steady.” When asked about transportation, Dan said, “I wish there was a nice way to describe it, but it’s terrible. But to end on a high note, our quality is excellent!”
Idaho-E. Oregon:
Herb Haun with Haun Packing in Weiser, ID, told us on Nov. 18 that the onion market this week has been very busy overall with good Thanksgiving pull. “We’ve seen good demand, with the holiday pull mostly late last week and early this week,” Herb said. He noted demand is good across the board for sizes and colors. “Transportation is still very tight, but it has to be adequate because this area is still ahead year-to-date with loads shipped,” Herb added. About planning for the 2021 crop, he said, “We’re taking it one day at a time, but right now we have no plans for any changes.”
Colorado Western Slope/Utah:
Don Ed Holmes with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, said on Nov. 18 that his operation’s business “is even wilder this week than last week.” He said, “We have had a ton of Thanksgiving business. It seems like it starts off quiet on Monday, then starts up on Tuesday and then is crazy on Wednesday and Thursday,” Don Ed said. He noted that the availability of transportation in Colorado and Utah has been very beneficial, saying, “We’ve been fortunate as far as trucks go.” And, he said, “Quality is fantastic, and we’ve had a lot of return business because of that. Demand is very good for all colors and sizes – we’re going through them.”
David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen, TX, said on Nov. 18 his Colorado deal is seeing excellent demand. “Business has been very good, a lot of holiday demand,” David said. “The markets are good, and transportation is tight.” He said quality is good, and demand is good for all sizes and colors.
Wisconsin:
Doug Bulgrin with Gumz Farms in Endeavor reported on Nov. 18 that his operation is very busy this week. “We have above-average demand this week,” he said. “We have heavy retail business, and the Food Box Program is pulling a good amount as well. So, we are seeing very good movement across the board, but medium and jumbo yellows demand is the heaviest. With the heavy demand, good retail biz and excellent quality, pricing is higher than normal, too. Everything is going well for us right now.”
Peru:
Walt Dasher with G&R Farms in Glennville, GA, told us on Nov. 18 that the Peruvian sweets continue in good supplies and quality. He said, “Weather in late October and early November was perfect in Peru. Quality is very good, and yields have been improving from the shortfall in the early season crop which was due to cooler than normal temperatures.” Walt also said, “We are projecting no shortage at this time and expect to have good volume through the end of December and into January.”
CROP
Texas Rio Grande Valley/Tampico, Mexico:
Don Ed Holmes with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, said on Nov. 18 planting is finished in the Rio Grande Valley and in the Tampico region of Mexico. “Weather is just perfect,” he said. “The highs have been in the mid-80s, and it’s been in the 60s at night – onion growing weather. Now hopefully we’ll get the dormant weather in December and early January.”
David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in McAllen, TX, said on Nov. 18 the crop looks good, and he shared photos of the upgrades to the facilities of Charles Wetegrove in Willacy County. Charles is a fourth-generation grower/shipper and is part of the group David works with. “The photos show a lot of equipment that has been installed, a lot of new automation,” David explained. “Between the upgrades at Wetegrove’s and the additional improvements at Nowell Borders, we have more than doubled the capacity for consumer packs of all sizes. And everything is in place for Jan. 1, 2021.”
