Featured image: Endeavor, WI onion harvest. Photo courtesy of Doug Bulgrin with Gumz Farms.
Wisconsin
Doug Bulgrin with Gumz Farms in Endeavor provided his report on September 4. “Harvest is in full swing here,” Doug said. “We are shipping yellows in all sizes. Reds are available from Wisconsin now too which is earlier than normal. Retailers are always excited to promote locally grown onions and potatoes and are running us as a feature in their ads. They always see a boost in sales when they can advertise the local farmers’ story. People love to know where their food comes from.” Many thanks to Doug for sending in harvest photos this week.
Idaho-E. Oregon
Dwayne Fisher with Tamura Farms in Wilder, ID, and Champion Produce in Parma, ID, reported on September 4. “Smoke is in the air and the market is solid,” Dwayne said. “I am careful to use the word good because at these levels, depending on yields, it literally could be a break-even wash for our growers. That being said, movement for us has been brisk and our arrivals have been bingo! As our farms and our growers move into lifting and getting product ready for curing and ultimately storage, we are seeing a natural constriction of supply coming into our facilities.” He continued, “We have strengthened our jumbo market 1.00 today and have had no problem getting it. Growers, and even our own farms, aren’t in any hurry to run at the current market levels so for us we are anticipating tight supplies through harvest. From there we think we will have a nice crop to market for our normal season. If the market were to strengthen, we may see some growers decide to let some volume go to fill the demand. It really is just about dollars and what makes sense for their operations.” And he said, “With record expenses and horrific commodity prices bullishness will be the demeanor for the season. For us we are still at least a couple weeks away from going into storage, Mother Nature providing.” On transportation, Dwayne said, “Transportation is no problem right now and flats are helping with delivered prices. Be nice to have less smoke/fires and more curing sun in the next month, but the trend is going the wrong direction right now.”
Northwest/Peru:
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing reported in on September 4 from his Walla Walla, WA sales office. “We’ve been shipping new crop out of the Northwest since mid-August and sales are very good. We’re seeing nice size profiles on this early stuff with good quality. The shipments include local sweets and sales on those are going well.” Dan commented on Keystone’s Peruvian sales. “Shipments of our Mayan Sweets have been selling on the East Coast since the week of August 12, and on the West Coast since the week of the 19th. We’ll have them in the Northwest come Monday.” Many thanks to Dan for sending photos of Keystone’s Mayan Sweets, as well as their Blue Mountain Sweets, and Rivers Edge reds. Click image to enlarge and scroll.
Oregon/Washington/Idaho:
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms in Salem, OR, told us on September 4, saying, “First, I think we had an unexpected rush for the holiday,” John said, “There were some good sales just before Labor Day. On Tuesday, demand started out slow. I think everyone was trying to get settled in after the holiday. Today, demand has really taken off. Overall, I can say, this activity has been great for growers and shippers.” John continued, “We are shipping out of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Storage varieties will be coming soon, but for now, its harvest to pack. There is good demand for all three colors and there seems to be enough sizes to meet demand except for the larger onions. With those, it’s hit-and-miss. On one day a shipper might have plenty to cover your order, and the next day they won’t have any.” Finally John said, “The great news is we haven’t had one complaint about quality so far and we’re pleased about that.”
Idaho/Washington/Oregon/Utah/Spain:
Rick Greener with Greener Produce in Ketchum, ID provided his report on September 4 saying, “Demand is rockin and rollin’ right along,“ Rick said. “Demand is steady, and buyers are looking for all colors and sizes. Larger items are snug, so if you want Colossals or Supers, preplanning is essential. They are hard to come by and they go quickly. Reds are still limited too. We’re shipping out of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Utah, and we are still working the Spain program for East Coast customers. Everyone has completely transitioned with California and New Mexico finished.” On the market, Rick commented, “With larger sizes being hard to come by, the market is higher on Colossals and Supers. Mediums and jumbos seem to be stabilizing and whites are still all over the place. Like I’ve mentioned earlier, most of the fluctuation on whites hinges on quality.” And he noted, “Looks like we are starting to see more onions with better skin set. So, we are making our way out of the “summer” good onions. Getting into these Long Day varieties is great and customers are pleased.” On transportation, Rick said, “It’s super easy. We have all the varieties of equipment to ship and that helps.” He concluded his report saying, “Remember, we have new crop Idaho boilers, Cipollinis, and pearls, so come and get ‘em!”
Idaho-E. Oregon/Colorado:
Many thanks to Kris Kido with Top Air, Inc. in Parma, ID for sending in harvest photos this week that showcase Top Air harvest equipment. The first photo shown was sent to Top Air from Zach Mason with Zach Mason Farms in Fowler, CO. The second photo is of the Hartman Farms harvest near Parma, ID, and the last two photos showcase Watson Agriculture harvest near Parma as well. Click image to enlarge and scroll.
CROP
Colorado Western Slope:
David DeBerry with Southwestern Onion Growers in McAllen, TX, told us on September 4 that Colorado’s summer growing season was appreciated by his Delta farmers. First loads should ship within days, he said. “We will start all three colors next week and should run right out of the field by the middle of next week and have a crop until the first of the year at least.” About the growing season he said, “For the most part, the growers are happy with the temperatures. They’ve been conducive to finishing out the crop, and we will have most likely an average to probably above average size crop in terms of bulb size.” He continued, “Overall acreages up just a tiny bit, and total production will be up a little bit as well, it looks like.” Our thanks to David for the great shot of red, white, and yellow Colorado onions.
