California:
Western Onions is harvesting in the Imperial Valley, and Robert Bell said the onions have been three weeks off water. “This is the key for a successful mechanical harvest for the fresh market,” he said. “Dry them down, harvest in the cool of the morning then take them to storage,” he said of onions in Bakersfield. Robert said early onions are kept for a max of six weeks, and “then you can transition into an intermediate variety that’s harder, with more skin and longer legs. We will harvest 500,000 lbs. a day for about 14 days,” he said of the deal.
Steve Gill at Gills Onions in Oxnard told OnionBusiness.com, “Volumes have been very good and the quality is excellent. There are plenty of single center yellows, which is obviously great for our processing.”
John Vlahandreas at Wada Farms said that company’s California deal moving along at a steady pace. “Demand definitely exceeds what we are packing,” John said. “Price for some reason is staying stable and not moving up or down, but I look for it to go up next week. Quality has really been fantastic, and #2 production on all colors as been light as a result.” John said Wada will be finished packing around May 24 and will move production to the Five Points area and sell from New Mexico the first week of June.
Chris Woo at Murakami Produce/Potandon Produce said shipments out of the Imperial Valley are good, and quality is outstanding. Pricing right now is very good and in the double digits, he said, adding that growers are pleased with the FOB pricing and the return for their investment.
Lower Rio Grande Valley, TX:
Chris Woo at Murakami Produce/Potandon Produce said the Rio Grande Valley has seen excellent demand and pricing throughout the season. “Shipments are starting to wind down, and those shipments will be replaced with New Mexico crop and other parts of Mexico,” he said.
Vidalia:
Chris Woo from Murakami Produce/Potandon Produce said demand for Vidalia is moderate. Quality is good and pricing is steady, and Chris said the market should strengthen over the next several weeks.
YOUTUBE VIDEOS OF BRAWLEY AREA – COURTESY OF ROBERT BELL/WESTERN ONION
GALLERIES
VIDALIA – COURTESY OF CHRIS WOO/POTANDON PRODUCE
CALIFORNIA – BRAWLEY AERA – COURTESY OF ROBERT BELL/WESTERN ONION
