Market Update

Market Snapshot*

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported prices on yellow Spanish hybrid U.S. No. 1 onions from Idaho and Malheur County, Ore., were: 50-pound sacks super colossal mostly $9; colossal, mostly $5.50; jumbo, $4-4.50; medium, mostly $4.50. White U.S. No. 1 were: 50-pound sacks large, mostly $8; medium, mostly $8. Red globe type U.S. No. 1 were: 25-pound sacks large, mostly $5.50; medium, mostly $4-4.50.

*Prices from the USDA's National F.O.B. Review, Sept. 5.

The Shipping Scene

Grower-shippers are reporting good conditions as the first shipments of Idaho onions get under way.

Quality has been "exceptional" so far at J.C. Watson Co., Parma, said Kent Sutherland, sales manager.

Harvesting started about three weeks ago -- two weeks earlier than usual -- as a result of ideal growing conditions, he said. The company will continue its onion deal until mid-April.

Sizing has been exceptional on the company's Spanish sweet, red and white onions, Sutherland said. Volume should be similar to last season.

Many areas ship onions at this time of year, but Idaho and Oregon varieties are "ringer varieties" known for their high quality, especially among foodservice operators, he said.

At Central Produce Distributors Inc. in Payette, salesman Dan Phillips said all the company's sheds now are in production. Central Produce ships yellow, red and white onions.

"So far, quality is really good," Phillips said Sept. 6.

Apparently, onions like a hot, dry summer, he said, because sizing is good and yields are average, if not above average.

However, Phillips said he would like to see stronger prices. Fifty-pound cartons of jumbo-size yellows were selling for $4 this week. A few months ago, the company was hoping for prices in the $8-10 range. Apparently, other areas had more production than sales, which has resulted in weaker markets than anticipated, he said.

Buyers can't go wrong choosing Idaho onions, he said. "Our onions are attractive to the eye," have better sizing than onions from many other growing areas, and grower-shippers offer a wide selection of packages.

Central Produce Distributors has doubled its onion volume this year and expected to ship into March, Phillips said.

Shipments started last week from Wada Farms Marketing Group LLC in Idaho Falls, said Kevin Stanger, vice president of sales and marketing. The company expected to have a good crop into March or April.

Shay Myers, general manager at Owyhee Produce, Nyssa, Ore., which grows yellow, red and white onions for Wada Farms, reported that, "Quality across the board looks excellent."

Sizing should be similar to last year or perhaps slightly smaller because of better stands. Better stands mean less growing area per onion, which results in more uniform-sized onions, Myers said.

Growing conditions were just about ideal. A dry spring allowed growers to plant earlier than usual, and weather was excellent until mid-summer, when temperatures topped 100 degrees for several consecutive days.

"It was the hottest July in history in our area," Myers said.

He expected average yields this year, following yields that were significantly below average last year.

Because of low markets, many growers are not rushing to start packing this season, he said.

(By Tom Burfield, Western correspondent for The Packer. The Packer and Red Book Credit Services are part of food360º, a division of Vance Publishing Corp., Lincolnshire, Ill.)

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