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The Market Is Hot!
By John Harris
To state the obvious, this market is hot! With Idaho-Eastern Oregon (IEO) still late to the party, we are experiencing record pricing for the end of August and beginning of September.
IEO is finally in the game with very limited supplies this week and should really get things kicked off starting next Tuesday, which is certainly going to help allow us to get orders covered with a bit more ease and less advance notice. Planning a week out is hard for everyone. Wisconsin and Michigan should come online next week as well, joining New York and Canada along with Washington and of course IEO. Colorado will also have more supplies next week as well. Basically, fall storage crop is going to be in full swing when we all return from the extended holiday weekend on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
Yellow Onions: Markets are at record levels on yellow onions right now. We’re seeing no supers anywhere and limited colossals. What is available is mostly pallet quantities and expensive. Jumbo yellows are around, but definitely tight and a really strong market as well. Medium yellows are also very tight going into the week out of the Northwest. The Northeast has plenty of mediums, which is helping take some of the pressure off in covering all the needs out there. Prices on mediums are a bit reflective of the availability on them across all growing regions.
White Onions: Whites are priced higher than yellows currently, but only slightly, and this market usually doesn’t have a problem sustaining a higher price and maintaining good movement. Availability remains tight, but more supplies are due online over the next 10 days, and I think we’ll see the pressure ease off to create a nice steady market going into the fall. With whites only being grown in WA, IEO and CO, there are limited choices with buying options.
Red Onions: Availability is good and prices are steady. There are reds in most of the growing regions right now and prices reflect that with a steady market. Mediums seem to be a little tighter in the Northwest, but there are plenty of mediums out of the Northeast currently, which is flattening out the peaks and valleys in the market. Jumbos will continue to be filled mostly out of the Northwest as we go forward. The market is profitable without being unaffordable.
Editors Note: John Harris is the president and founder of Paradigm Fresh and Colorado Cold Connect in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He can be reached at John@paradigmfresh.com.
