For years now the produce industry has seen the world become smaller and the summer longer, and today consumers can demand virtually any product at any time. At the same time, technology has advanced at warp speed.
The result? Our industry works double- and sometimes triple-time to keep up not only with trends and demand but also with news about what our competitors in other regions are doing to meet demand on their home fronts.
Add to this the digital movement and news available at the snap of your fingers, and you’ve got my reason for wading into the deep.
I’ve come to really appreciate single-commodity publications that focus on just potatoes or just apples or just kumquats (ok, maybe not kumquats). The onion industry has its periodic print presentation, but WHERE is the digital, up-to-the-minute news and info?
Enter OnionBusiness.com and OnionProducer.com, two commodity-specific digital publications for the onion industry and about the onion industry – and only the onion industry. OnionBusiness.com will look at news affecting sales, marketing, packing, shipping, processing, receiving and even preparation of our favorite vegetable. We’ll also let you know about how the crops are faring across the nation, and we’ll give you industry profiles to let you know how your friends are doing.
OnionProducer.com will have everything you need to know about research, chemicals, irrigation, equipment, seeds – the hows and the whos.
When will all this be available?
As many who are reading this know, I was committed to my position with the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee until my contract expired May 1, and since then I’ve been working very hard to see both publications officially launched July 1. I’ve been encouraged by the very positive feedback I’ve received about this new endeavor, and the amazing success of EdgyPlate.com, an all-things-food digital program designed just for Millennials and the pilot program for my digital media company, has convinced me this is a real winner.
So take some time and read some news about yourselves, your friends and neighbors – and a few competitors – in the world of U.S.-grown onions, and stay tuned for much, much more to come.