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Onion Market Update October 3, 2023
By John Harris
The leaves are changing colors, and fall is upon us. Onion harvest is in full swing for some and already complete for others nationwide. Mother Nature has been mostly well-behaved this year up until this week, with a bit of precipitation happening in the Northwest which is keeping some harvest crews out of the field for a few days.
The market is typical of this time of year during harvest season. Storage buildings are being emptied to make room for the long-term product. The yellow market is a little depressed at the moment, primarily due to a lack of daily open market business in my opinion. Whites are in a bit of the same boat to some degree and the red market, in particular on mediums, is holding pretty strong.
Yellows – Quality so far has been very nice overall. There are a few internal issues here and there from some untimely rains a month or so ago, but overall nothing to be concerned about currently. The overall market is not fantastic, and movement and demand is lackluster. It’s not untypical for this time of year, and nothing that shouldn’t improve as harvest wraps up. I’d look for the overall market to stiffen up as we near the end of the month. Daily deals are just about everywhere right now on jumbo yellows, with mediums being just a bit tighter in supply.
Whites – Quality has been a little all over the board, from exceptional to average from shed to shed and region to region. Price is reflective of that as well and it all boils down to what individual needs are for each buyer. Jumbos are dominating the size profile with mediums being a little harder to find in general.
Reds – So far, the quality on reds is very good right now. Mediums are exceptionally tight and it looks like that will be the case for the entire season. Jumbo reds are easier, but supplies overall seem to be a little light this year and I expect to see a good market on them for the entire season.
As always, any comments and feedback is appreciated. Have a great week.
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.
