Brenden Kent with Sunset Produce in Prosser, WA, reported on Oct. 10 that Sunset’s harvest is complete. “We are finished up with everything dry and in the barn,” Brenden said. He noted that demand on medium yellows has been so good that on some days, demand has exceeded supply. “Demand has picked up this week, after the lull we’ve seen in recent weeks,” he said. “Since we are complete with harvest, we have been able to slow down. And that’s true with most shippers. With harvest wrapping up, it will allow everything to slow down a little bit, which should help stabilize the market. In the onion industry, a little goes a long way. So we are very encouraged about the market moving forward.” Brenden said exports are still doing well. “We have had a lot of inquiries, and the interest in exports is definitely still there. We expect this continue with good export activity moving forward.” On quality, Brenden said, “We are very encouraged with what we are seeing with our storage varieties. Some packouts are better than others, so there may be some shrink, but our quality is looking very good.” Transportation, he said, remains a concern. “Really, there is no long-term solution to transportation, and this week we are looking at more Eastern U.S. weather problems, so that is going to have an immediate impact.” He added that Sunset’s sweet program is doing very well. “Our Heavenly Sweets are in very good demand, and we have added a new sweet, SunKissed, and it is being very well received.”
Trent Faulkner with L&M Companies in Raleigh, NC commented about their Warden shipments on Oct. 10, telling us demand has been a little slow but steady. “Demand on medium yellows is very strong, but there are a lot of larger onions out there, which has had an impact on the market,” Trent said. “On jumbos, colossals and supers, the market is about as cheap as it can go. And now with Utah starting up next week, we really don’t see much change for the next couple of months. The market on reds and whites is OK, but those prices are heading south too. And it’s too bad because Jensen Farms has done an excellent job raising a beautiful crop. Their onions are outstanding, and it’s a real shame we aren’t getting the prices that match the quality.”
Washington/Idaho-Eastern Oregon:
John Vlahandreas with Wada Farms reported from his Salem, OR, office on Oct. 10, saying, “My shippers in Idaho and Washington as wrapping up harvest. The small amount of stuff that is left out there will be cleaned up by the weekend.” John also said demand this week is steady. “All colors and sizes are moving, but medium yellows are in high demand for both the domestic and export markets. And the medium yellow supply is tight. Isn’t that always the way – demand is great for something you don’t have enough of.” On the market, John said, “Honestly, it is really hard to read. I get it that shippers need to move these onions, and storage costs aren’t getting any cheaper. It’s just a matter of finding the right customers where the FOBs will work.” He said quality is looking very good. “Quality is nice. We haven’t had any issues, and the loads are making good arrivals.” And, like his counterparts in many areas, John said transportation is still bad. “It’s the same old crunch, you know,” he said. “Availability is up and down, and rates are all over the board but still high.”
Idaho-Eastern Oregon:
Dan Phillips with Central Produce Distributing in Payette, ID, told us that as of Oct. 10, Central is still harvesting. “We were on track to be finished by now, but Mother Nature stepped in,” he said. “While we don’t have a whole lot left out there, it’s tough to pinpoint when we’ll be done. I will say the onions are absolutely beautiful, and that sure makes the job easier for our production team and sales group.” Dan said demand this week is a little off. “Because of the holiday, it may have had an impact on overall demand,” he said. “However, all colors and sizes are still moving, but demand for medium and jumbo yellows is much stronger than the others.” Dan told us that he rates the market as “sloppy,” adding, “That is really the only word that comes to mind on the market right now. That said, traditionally when everyone gets their early onions out of here and the storage stuff in and locked up, I think we’re going to see the market adjusted for the better.” Dan said transportation continues to be tough. “We starting to see less opportunity to load flatbeds, which causes the availability to tighten. Wyoming and Nebraska have had freezing temps at night, so that has started to change things up on the truck type we can load,” he said.
Steve Baker with Baker & Murakami Produce in Ontario, OR, told us Oct. 10, “Demand as of Wednesday a.m. is about the same for us as in previous weeks.” He said demand for medium yellows has been “very strong and at times has exceeded supplies,” and he added, “The market for us has been steady this week. Some of my competitors are apparently still feeling pressure to get bins empty. We have turned down offers at lower prices. Hopefully, there isn’t as much pressure the next few days since the Boise area had the rainiest single day in October in 18 years. It will keep growers out of the fields probably till the end of the week.” Steve added that Baker & Murakami has good availability on jumbos in all colors, and he said, “We’re very tight on medium yellows and medium whites.” He said quality has been very good this season. And about transportation, Steve commented, “We can get what we need on trucks, but it takes a lot of work to get it accomplished.”
Kansas:
Trent Faulkner with L&M Companies in Raleigh, NC, reported that they completed shipping out of Kansas last week. “Due to weather, we got off to a slow start in Kansas, but we ended up finishing extremely strong. We had a little learning curve with our program there. Some varieties didn’t perform like we would have wanted them to, but yet some did extremely well.”
Broker’s Perspective:
Rick Greener with Greener Produce in Ketchum, ID, told us on Oct. 10 that demand is good this week. “Demand is better than last week, for sure,” he said. “Last week I had trucks calling in right and left looking for loads, but this week they have become scarce again with rates going up with the switch to reefers. That tells me demand is strengthening.” On the market side of things, Rick said, “The upshot is the market seems to have stabilized, and the downside is pricing sucks.” He said he is currently moving onions from a variety of areas. “I am getting onions out of Washington, Idaho, Utah and some out of Colorado. Across the board, quality has been excellent! I do wish there were more pre-packs out there.”
CROP
North Carolina:
Trent Faulkner with L&M Cos. in Raleigh reported Oct. 10 that the company’s North Carolina crop is starting to sprout and in good shape. “We were able to plant two weeks sooner than normal, so we are shooting for a mid-July harvest,” Trent said. “Some crops in North Carolina were devastated with the last storm. Of course, the onion crop was just planted, so nothing was affected there. We do have a lot of veg in Georgia, like broccoli, bell peppers and other items that we are quite worried about with the upcoming hurricane. We have our fingers crossed.” On the personal side of things, Trent said that everyone is safe where they are. “Looks like all the folks that needed to get out of Florida have done that, and we are all good here in North Carolina.”
