Keystone Fruit Marketing Sales Agent Dan Borer said the Walla Walla Sweet Onion harvest will be on time, thanks to recent heat.
Dan told us in late May he expects harvest to start mid- to late June, adding that the onions are bulbing well now with seasonal warm weather settling in.
Keystone markets for four growing entities, including Pacific Agra Farms, a new grower group made up of two longtime Walla Walla Sweet growers, Michael J. Locati of the Locati family and Harry and Luke Hamada of the Hamada family, as well as Art Villa and Vidal Pedroza.
In addition to the newly formed PAF, Keystone also handles the onions grown by Bob Evans, who is a Keystone’s founder and the largest grower of Walla Walla Sweet Onions in the federally protected region.
Evans and Harry Hamada, along with Michael F. Locati, uncle of Michael J., are principals in Walla Walla River Packing, which packs for Keystone.
This season’s will be the first crop produced as Pacific Agra Farms LLC, and Michael J. Locati said vertical integration is the most efficient way to produce onions in this deal.
He said he expects shipments to go into early September, with retail being the primary market.
