Supplies of onions are still relatively on the light side for the year. “The yields are better than last year with the heat wave we had but they’re still below the historical average. The heat wave last year made everyone’s onions in the Pacific Northwest smaller with lighter yields,” says Jared Gutierrez of Columbia Basin Onion LLC.
Columbia Basin Onion will finish its harvest by the end of the week. However, most onion growers in the Pacific Northwest are delayed by seven to 10 days. “We had a cool wet spring and we didn’t have the heat units to warm things up during that time frame,” says Gutierrez. “This resulted in some growers trying to let their crop grow a little more to gain more yield.”
Meeting those light supplies of onions is good demand too. “Although demand hits a bit of a pressure point during harvest, that’s typical. It comes off a little bit as people make room for storage,” says Gutierrez. “Demand will come back when people move into management control of their inventory of what they ship out. It still shows for a positive season and most everyone will go until late spring.”
Pricing spread on yellow onions
Of course, this has also made for good pricing, though Gutierrez notes there’s a spread currently on jumbo yellows versus medium yellows given there are more mediums available. “The jumbo price is pretty healthy. We hope that spread gets brought back closer together after harvest is over,” he says.
Meanwhile, pricing on white onions is consistent while red onion pricing has received a bit more pressure. “Compared to last year though, some of the prices are higher. This healthier price is very much needed because of the inflation that has hit farmers,” says Gutierrez.
That inflated pricing also looks to be continuing for growers and shippers. “You have to really stay on top of things with your packaging, supplies, even parts. Parts are getting to be challenging for equipment to produce. Sometimes if you want a part and it’s hard to get, it can cost double,” adds Gutierrez.
For more information:
Jared Gutierrez
Columbia Basin Onion LLC.
Tel: +1 (541) 667-9472
Jared.Gutierrez@columbiabasinonion.com