Posts Tagged “New Mexico Onions”

Update on New Mexico Onion and Chili Pepper Shipments

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DSCN0563It is approaching the latter part of the shipping season for New Mexico onions and from a trucking stand point just make sure your receivers know the quality of the product being loaded.  About one-third of the crop is only rated as fair, while two-thirds is seen as good or excellent.

USDA reports 31 percent of the New Mexico’s onion crop is rated excellent, 35 percent rates as good, and 34 percent as fair.  New Mexico produced nearly 3,600 truckloads of onions this season.

Chili pepper growers in the Hatch-area apparently are shipping a quality crop.  The USDA says over 50 percent of the state’s peppers are in excellent condition.

Drought conditions he lack of Rio Grande River irrigation water has once again forced growers to pump high salinity ground water on their crops, resulting in onion yields being down in the Hatch area.

In 2011 the state’s total onion shipments was nearly 3,400 truck loads, and 2010’s total yield was 4,125 truck loads.

The largest onion hauls in New Mexico in recent years were in 2007 when shipments hit over 4,400 truck loads and in 2003 when there were 5,300 truckloads and finally in 2002 with 5,500 truck loads.

New Mexico’s chili pepper shipments the Hatch area should get underway in early August, with shipments exceeding those of a year ago.

New Mexico onions are grossing about – $3200 to Chicago.

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Grapes Shipments from Arvin, Coachella, Nogales; NM Onions

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There’s  more table grapes than shippers know what to do with because loads are now coming out of Mexico, Coachella and Arvin – all at the same time.  Mexican late season sugraones are peaking this week, with shippers needing to move 4.5 million boxes.  Those are crossing the border at Nogales, AZ.

Meanwhile, the Arvin district near Bakersfield only started about a week ago and is now rapidly building in volume.   One shipper recently stated, “You’ll see Mexico, Coachella, Arvin and Fresno County grapes all by the first week of July.  It’s going to be interesting.”

By the time Coachella and Mexico have finished by mid July, the two regions will have shipped about 23 million boxes. 

New Mexico Onions

New Mexico  has about 20 onion growers and shippers concentrated in the southern part of the state.   A little over 50%  the state’s onion acreage usually originates out of Dona Ana County, while the balance is grown in Luna and Sierra counties.

All New Mexico onions grown are non-storage with most of the product being yellow onions, although there are some whites and some reds.

New Mexico has been shipping onions since late May and usually wraps up the season by late August, although a few packing sheds continue into mid-September.

There was  5,500 acres of New Mexico onions planted in 2012, down 10 % from 2011.

New Mexico onions – grossing about $3300 to Chicago.

Nogales grapes – about $5000 to Atlanta.

Coachella Valley grapes – about $8400 to New York City.

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