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By John Harris
Onion Market Update October 28, 2025
It has been some time since my last update, and quite honestly, there hasn’t been much to report. The market has remained steady across all sizes and colors for the past couple of months. Quality has been inconsistent early in the storage-crop season, which is somewhat concerning; however, as we move deeper into the season, we expect to see improvement.
Discussing prices right now is challenging—they vary from day to day and shed to shed, with quality playing a major role. Overall, the market remains unfavorable when compared to the cost of production. Both the U.S. and Canadian crops are strong, and simply put, there are more onions available than current demand can absorb. Daily movement has been moderate, averaging around 350–400 loads per day. While there are fluctuations, the past month has averaged roughly 375 shipments daily.
Rather than taking an overly optimistic view, I think it’s important to remain realistic: this market is likely to persist at current levels through at least the end of February. There’s a chance for some improvement with a solid holiday push, which could help lift us slightly from current lows, but reaching profitability for our growers appears unlikely in the near term.
These updates are never easy to write, especially when the news isn’t positive. Still, transparency is important, and this is simply where our market and industry stand today. I wish all of you well and, as always, welcome your thoughts, insights, or feedback—positive or negative.
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.