Featured image: Idaho-E. Oregon Onion harvest, photo by OnionBusiness.com
MARKET
Columbia Basin:
Jared Gutierrez with Columbia Basin Onion in Hermiston, OR, told us on Sept. 23, “Overall demand has been good on all colors and organic. Whites has probably seen the biggest pull lately with loads domestically and to Mexico, while everything else seems to be on pace.” He continued, “Harvest is going well, and we should be done in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, weather will cooperate till then.” The market this week, Jared said, “is starting to firm up.” He noted, “We would like to see more strength, and maybe that will come once everyone has enough storage space and begins management control.” Jared said quality looks good for the long-day storage onion, and size seems to be average. And about transportation, he said, “Transportation so far has been all right. We are able to get trucks, but we are starting to see more dry vans, flatbeds, and Conestogas in the mix. Reefers are getting harder to come by, which is pushing higher rates.”
Idaho:
Rick Greener with Greener Produce in Ketchum told us things are running smoothly this week except for transportation. “Transportation is horrible!” Rick said on Sept. 23. “Rates are skyrocketing, and it’s only going to get worse. I don’t see any relief until the end of the year.” On a brighter note, Rick said that demand and the market are steady. “Mediums continue to dominate demand, and whites are getting tight this week,” he said. “Still, demand is steady across the board, and the market is stable. It truly is – and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.” On quality, Rick said, “I am shipping onions out of Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Utah and Michigan, and quality is getting better and better every day. Color is good, and skins are tight and are looking great.” He added, “Again, on this transportation deal, buyers need to allow time for all of us to find trucks and some additional time for shippers to catch up with orders. This will help everyone out.”
Idaho-E. Oregon:
Steve Baker with Baker & Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, told us on Sept. 23, “Demand has been good this week, and the Food Box Program has pushed the demand for medium yellows. There has also been a lot of business on whites and reds going to Mexico.” Steve said harvest is moving along well. “We are going full steam ahead with harvest,” he said. “The goal is to try and have everything in by Oct. 10. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates.” The market, he said, has been “fairly steady this week,” and quality has been outstanding on all colors. He noted that truck transportation is “still very tight this week,” adding, “I expect that to continue for the foreseeable future.”
Chris Woo with Owyhee Produce in Parma, ID, and Nyssa, OR, said on Sept. 23, “This week skies are clear and blue. We are collectively involved in full-time mode with onion harvest and delicately putting our fine crop away in storage for the long-term.” And, he said, “Present domestic demand and inquiry are moderate, and pricing is steady. Some extra orders are being sent to Mexico.” Chris went on to say, “Now is a great time for promoting this year’s crop, which is one of the best I’ve ever seen at these reasonable fobs. Present quality being harvested, stored and shipped is great, with good sizing on all three of our colors.”
Dwayne Fisher with Champion Produce Sales in Parma, ID, told us on Sept. 23, “We can see the sun again, and optimism should be in the air! Year-to-date early shipments have been amazing, and, according to the USDA Market Report, we are 1,069 loads ahead of last year!” Dwayne continued, “The valley has moved through a tremendous amount of early onions, and now storage is rolling full steam ahead. Onion quality has been and continues to be fantastic, and we are very pleased with our size and quality profile in all three colors.” He said, “All of our early or green-topped onions are finished and completely shipped out. This puts our entities and should position our entire valley to move the market back up to profitable returns for our farms and growers.” Dwayne explained that “two goals should have our complete attention,” and said those are, “First, get our crop stored and put away in the best condition possible, and secondly, market our crop and make our growers and farms some nice returns on their huge investments.” He said demand is “spot-on with everything we did this summer,” and Dwayne added, “The only difference is the price. For some reason we discount the price from their levels even though we have amazing service/performance and a superior product.” He concluded, “It is imperative that we remember at very healthy returns to our farms and growers, the price per pound on onions is still the bargain of the vegetable industry. All things are positive as we now transition to our storage crop.”
Idaho-E. Oregon/Washington:
John Vlhandreas with Wada Farms reported from his Salem, OR, office this week. “Well, I’ll start by saying, things are looking better fire-wise here,” John said on Sept. 23. “We received some rain, which was good, and now there is some cleanup efforts still ongoing, but we’re all good here.” He continued, “This week for onions isn’t bad. It seems some sheds are packing more days than others, and that’s just based on sheds trying to get onions in the barn.” John added, “I will say that we are struggling with high freight rates, but I don’t know if it’s something we’re going to have to deal with long-term. This is the first year with no Railex, so it’s really tough to gauge.” Demand is good this week, he said. “Pretty strong on mediums and jumbos, not so much on the larger sizes, but that’s not a real problem since most of the colossals and supers are contracted.” John added, the market is stable. “The market is pretty solid this week,” John said. “Oh, you might hear of a deal or two being made out there, but it’s rare, and it hasn’t had much effect on the overall market. The good news is Mexico is pulling, and so that helps us. And it looks like Asian exports may pick up. We’ll want to watch the weather to see how their crops may be affected. Historically, we can’t get much information from the Pacific Rim regions”
Colorado Western Slope:
David DeBerry with Southwest Onion Growers in Mission, TX, said on Sept. 23, “The guys have been really busy, and the market is holding steady. Our quality is very good. We’re running all three colors, and we have about two weeks left on the intermediates. We’re starting harvest on our long-day onions and will run those to mid- or late January.” Trucks, he said, are another matter. “We’re struggling with transportation like everyone else.”
Colorado Western Slope/Utah:
Don Ed Holmes with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, said his Colorado onion deal is off to the races. “We’re running,” he said on Sept. 23, noting, “Yellow and white are available, and the quality is excellent. Reds will start in Colorado next week.” For his Corinne, UT, deal, Don Ed said, “We’re two weeks out.”
Northern Colorado:
John Harris with Paradigm Fresh in Fort Morgan reported on Sept. 21 that the markets are “relatively stable.” He said, “Whites got a little snug late in the week last week, and prices firmed up. We’ll see if that trend continues into this week. Reds and yellows still have good availability, and prices are consistent.” He continued, “We are far enough along into September that long-day onions are becoming available with full paper and very good shelf life.” Trucks, he said, “remain tight in the Northwest,” and he added, “We have onions here in Colorado, and freight is a little looser if you need a different option.”
CROP
Texas Rio Grande Valley/Tampico, Mexico:
Don Ed Holmes with The Onion House in Weslaco, TX, said on Sept. 23, “We start planting next week in The Rio Grande Valley, and we are continuing planting in Tampico area.”
