WASHINGTON:
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing in Walla Walla, WA told OnionBusiness.com that they have had record yields with their hybrid crop. “The weather was very good this season and has produced large volumes and excellent quality,” Dan said. He commented that the market is somewhat depressed right now, but he expects an upswing in movement in the coming weeks. Dan said that the demand for consumer packs is on the increase, yet currently he is seeing lower movement on bulk onions nationwide. “There is big bright spot here,” Dan noted. “It is important that our customers remember that there is a lot of opportunity to provide consumers with an excellent product at a huge value.” Dan said, “By running ads for the holidays and encouraging increased onion sales to consumers, this market has the potential to be very positive.”
COLUMBIA BASIN:
Gary Atkin with Columbia Basin Onion in Hermiston, OR reported that their harvest is complete. He commented, “We have been finished for a while now and we they were able to get everything in before the rains hit.” Gary added, “The quality of this year’s crop is outstanding and we have good supply in all colors and sizes.” Gary noted that demand is currently weak on conventional onions, but demand for Columbia Basin’s organics is strong and their movement of organics has been very good.
IDAHO-E. OREGON:
Joe Standage with Standage Farms located in Vale, OR said their operation has completed harvest and noted that the onions have excellent quality. “We are seeing average movement for this time of year,” Joe commented. “Historically, the first of November starts out a bit slow, and this year the upcoming election could also be a factor in lowering demand right now.” Joe said that if past trends hold, demand should start picking up between November 8 and 10 and he’s continuing to build strength in the weeks ahead. Standage Farms has all sizes available in yellows and reds.
Kent Sutherland with JC Watson Packing Company reported that harvest is complete. “All of our onions are in the barn,” Kent said. “Our onion quality is exceptional this year and the size profile is to large-jumbos and up,” Kent added. He said Watson’s smaller onions are going to be limited on supplies for all colors throughout the season. He noted that the market is stable and though he has had many inquiries on mediums for Thanksgiving, supplies are tight.
NEVADA:
Cindy Elrod with Peri and Sons in Yerington, NV told OnionBusiness.com that they are done with harvest and though the area did receive rains last weekend, nine-eight percent of their onions are under cover. “We are fortunate that that we hand harvest here so we can easily handle the bouts of inclement weather,” Cindy said. She added that their crop has very good yields and quality is equally as good. “With all the onions available on the market nationwide, it could be a challenging season,” she said. However, Cindy added that she is encouraged that retailers are already starting to run Thanksgiving ads, and Peri and Sons’ production team has been working long hours preparing for the Thanksgiving push. “We have strong of demand for consumer packs this time of year and demand for our sweet onions is high as well,” Cindy noted.
UTAH AND COLORADO:
Don Ed Holmes with Onion House, LLC in Weslaco, TX reports that their harvest in Utah and Colorado is complete and he noted that they have about seventy-five percent of the volume they had last year. Holmes commented that the market hasn’t changed much from last week, and termed business as “fair”. “There are a lot of onions out there and some regions have yet to finish harvest, so the onion deal is not good right now,” Don Ed said. On a brighter note, Holmes said he has had holiday inquiries and expects to see movement increase in the next week to ten days for the Thanksgiving. “After Thanksgiving, we will have another big push for the Christmas holiday and it looks like with Japan’s short crop, the export market should increase as well. So things should be looking up soon,” Don Ed said.
WISCONSIN:
Doug Bulgrin with Gumz Farms in Endeavor, WI reported that they finished harvest a week ago and were able to extend the harvest longer than normal. Doug added that they were fortunate to be able to get through harvest without any freezes. “Demand for us has been fairly steady” Doug said. “We are running more onions and pricing is starting to stabilize.” Doug commented that Gumz is starting to get inquiries for the Thanksgiving holiday and he anticipates they will be very busy in the weeks ahead. He added that there is good demand for mediums and Gumz has the availability.
PERU:
According to John Shuman at Shuman Produce, the demand for RealSweet® Peruvian sweet onions continues to remain solid and stable as it has throughout the season. “We have not yet experienced the holiday increase; we expect that to come beginning the end of next week,” John said. He noted that demand is up slightly at this point compared to last year. “Our Peruvian season has seen a gradual increase year over year as retailers and consumers recognize that Peru yields a premium sweet onion product, John added. He reports that the quality continues to be very high this year and they are very happy with the product in all stages from onions still growing in the field to onions being packaged and shipped to retailers. John said, “Peru once again has proven the fact that it yields a consistent, promotable, premium sweet onion that is the category leader during this time of year. Through our Peruvian program we can provide a long-term steady commitment without fear of decreased product quality.”
Dan Borer with Keystone Fruit Marketing in Walla Walla, WA reported that demand has been very good for the company’s Peruvian sweet onions. He said that Keystone was able to ship Peruvians earlier this season and the increase in demand is normal for this time of year. Dan commented that the quality is looking very nice and the size profile is leaning to large jumbos. “So far, we are right on schedule with where we want to be with our Peruvian program, Dan commented.
