As the onion harvest in Idaho ramps up, growers are seeing sizes that are better this season than they were last year. With no excessive heat affecting the crop, quality has improved.“Hot weather last year didn't allow onions to size up, and rain delayed harvesting during the summer before that,” said John Vlahandreas of Wada Farms Marketing. “But we had a really good growing season this year. We're just crossing our fingers we have no hail or rain storms because the onions are absolutely gorgeous right now.” He noted an uptick in acreage, though yields have been slightly down from last year. Wada Farms is mostly harvesting Spanish Yellows right now, and Vlahandreas expects the harvest to last through the end of September.
“We're shipping fresh right now,” he noted. “The flavor of the onions at this point in the season is really mild, almost sweet. It's referred to as a Spanish sweet because of its flavor. Onions can get a little bitter later in the storage season, but they're really nice at the beginning.”
Pricing has been good for the early part of the season. On August 15, prices for a 50-pound sack of Super Colossal Spanish Yellow onions from Idaho and Oregon were between $10.00 and $12.00.
“I think strong export demand is keeping the Washington guys busy and forcing buyers to look to Idaho,” said Vlahandreas. “Prices are decent right now, but I think they will slip when everyone else comes in and we have more sheds running.”
For more information:
John Vlahandreas
Wada Farms Marketing
+1 503 362 9900