Like many crops in the Pacific Northwest, harvesting of onions was accelerated by hot, dry conditions. But those same weather conditions have been conducive to good production, though movement has not kept up.“Everything is about two weeks ahead of schedule,” said Robin Froere of Owyhee Produce in Nyssa, Oregon. “The onions have grown well and are finishing well. Most of the ones we harvest right now are Spanish Sweets, which are yellow onions. There have been a few reds harvested, but they haven't really come in heavy yet.” While everything came on early, it's still about three weeks before harvesting of white onions really takes off. Froere added that sizes have skewed smaller so far, but that might just be isolated to production from early in the season.
On August 13, prices for a 50-pound sack of yellow Spanish onions from Malheur County, Oregon were between $13.00 and $15.00. Froere said she saw prices in the $10.00 to $12.00 range earlier in the week, and while those figures are good, movement has been slow.
“Sales have been sluggish, though they've started to pick up,” said Froere. “Prices were around $17.00 when the season started, and that might have been part of the reason for the early slow sales. Now that prices have dropped off, I think the market will be steady.”
For more information:
Robin Froere
Owyhee Produce
+1 541 610 0410