COLORADO:
Ryan Fagerberg at Fagerberg Produce/Fagerberg Farms in Eaton, CO, told OnionBusiness.com on Aug. 10, “Everything has been running smoothly since the start of harvest. We are now sorting onions six days a week and have all colors available. Our size profile is pretty large right now, as is typical for the start of harvest.”
NEW MEXICO:
The sales team at Young Guns Produce in Hatch reported that though some New Mexico shippers are finishing up, Young Guns will be shipping strong for the next two to three weeks. Yellows and reds are still available in a variety of sizes.
John Harris at Paradigm Fresh in Fort Collins and Denver told OnionBusiness.com, “New Mexico is putting the finishing touches on their season, with shipments winding down. Quality has maintained itself even as we finish, so the growers have to feel good about that.”
WASHINGTON:
Trish Lovell at Agri-Pack in Pasco reported that Agri-Pack is running yellows and a few reds this week. She said all sizes are shipping but noted that the size profile is leaning heavier to larger sizes, which she said is consistent with other areas’ new crop. Trish said there has been a bit of a strain on the market this week with California and New Mexico still cleaning up and more areas coming on. She commented, “We don’t have a lot of mediums right now, and there doesn’t seem to be a lot of mediums available in the available in the market in general.”
John Vlahandreas at Wada Farms in Idaho Falls, ID, told OnionBusiness.com the Washington deal has been moving pretty strong the last two weeks and should see increased movement next week as buyers transition to new crop.
VIDALIA:
Chris Woo at Potandon in Ontario, OR, reported that Potandon will complete its Vidalia cold storage onions this week. Georgia shippers are waiting for Peruvians to come on in a few weeks.
CALIFORNIA:
Chris Woo at Potandon also reported that Potandon is finishing up its California program. The market has been moderate during this transition to other areas, and Chris said, “Demand is off some for everyone shipping right now, and this is very typical. This time of year has always been known as the dog days of summer, which holds true for onions too. People are focusing their spending on going back to school and taking their last vacations before fall. Luckily, this period doesn’t last long.”
John Vlahandreas at Wada Farms told us, “The California onion deal is winding up this week, and we will transition movement to the Northwest. Onion pricing has remained strong in the Central Valley as we finish.”
IDAHO-E. OREGON
Chris Woo Murakami Produce Co. LLC in Ontario, OR, said that Murakami started packing on Monday of this week with limited volume on yellows and a few reds. The early quality looks very good, he said. “These early onions have a nice appearance. They have been well cured in the fields.” The size profile is heavy to jumbos and larger. Everything also looks great for the later varieties coming on, Chris said.
John Harris at Paradigm Fresh in Fort Collins and Denver, CO, said, “The Northwest – Idaho-Eastern Oregon and Washington — is rolling. Volume is heavy already, and quality is very, very good for this time of year. All sizes and colors are available.”
John Vlahandreas at Wada Farms said that the Idaho area has started slowly and will pick up volume each week. Like Washington, the movement out of the area will pick up with buyers transitioning out of California.
Check out more beautiful Marenge variety red onions in this short packing video at Rio Farms
