Posts Tagged “Oregon onion shipments”
Idaho and Oregon are unrivaled when it comes to U.S. onion growing, packing and shipping regions.
Idaho domestic truck shipments in 2023 amounted to 575.2 million pounds, with export truck shipments from the state accounting for 24.4 million pounds. Oregon was close behind, with the state accounting for 385.8 million pounds of domestic truck shipments and 44.3 million pounds of export truck shipments.
Idaho’s combined domestic and export truck shipments of onions totaled over 599 million pounds in 2023, up 16% from 515.9 million pounds in 2022. Oregon’s combined domestic and export shipments topped 429 million pounds in 2023, up 8% from 398 million pounds in 2022.
Idaho and Oregon shippers loaded onions every month of 2023, with peak supply from September through April.
In 2023, Idaho accounted for 14% of the U.S. domestic shipments and Oregon accounted for 10%.
Together the states accounted for about 1 in 4 domestic onions shipped in 2023.
J.C. Watson Packing Co. of Parma, Co.started its Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion harvest the second week of July and will continue through October.
The marketer will sell its Idaho-Eastern Oregon onions from storage through mid-May 2025.
J.C. Watson Co. received its name from its founder back in 1912, when he established a produce company in southwestern Idaho.
For over 90 years, the company has produced, packed, and marketed Spanish sweet onions.
In 2010, the company created two additional companies: J.C. Watson Packing Co. focuses on the packing, selling, and shipping of onions, while Watson Agriculture Inc. focuses on growing and producing a sound, superior onion for its customers.
In May this year, the company broke ground on its new onion-packing and rail facility in Wilder, Idaho. The $32 million facility will enhance the company’s operational capacity and support local and regional markets with improved transportation and distribution infrastructure.
Construction on the new packing and rail facility began in late May, with expected completion in February 2025. The new 70,000-square-foot facility will allow the company to process over twice the volume of onions handled now, significantly expanding capacity and extending the local season for Idaho and Eastern Oregon onions.
We’re in the lightest time of the year for domestic produce shipments, so here’s a look at the Western USA where the heaviest volume loadings are taking place.
Washington Apple Shipments
While there is no record volume this season, it is still a good sized crop that is averaging around 3000 truck load equivalents weekly from the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys. There’s also pears available in much lighter volume.
Washington apples – grossing about $6100 to New York City.
Yuma Arizona Vegetables
Head lettuce and romaine easily lead the lettuce family in volume with the two items averaging about 1875 trucks per week from the Yuma district. There’s also lettuce, in much in lighter volume, coming out of California’s nearby Imperial Valley. Other veggies also are available to help fill out loads.
Desert vegetables – grossing about $4700 to Atlanta.
Nogales Produce Shipments
Dozens of different Mexican vegetables are crossing the border here, although it sure seems volume is lighter than usual, in what is normally the peak season for volume. Tomatoes (vine ripe, cherry and grape) lead the pack with about 1500 truckloads per week. Bell peppers are shipping about one-half this amount in volume.
Idaho Potato Shipments
Spuds are available for the nation’s leading shipper. About 1750 truckload equivalents are shipping each week, with rail handling a much higher percentage than with produce items from most other shipping areas.
Idaho potatoes – grossing about $3000 to Chicago.
Idaho / Oregon Onion Shipments
It seems all onion shipping areas from around the country have lighter volume this season. Heaviest volume is coming from Western Idaho and Malhuer County, Oregon, averaging about 750 truck loads per week.
Here’s an update of imported produce items ranging from onions to asparagus, plus what’s coming up with domestic onion shipments.
Onion shipments are steadily declining from the Vidalia region in Southeastern Georgia. The next sweet onions from a new crop will be arriving by boat from Peru in the middle of August. Meanwhile, New Mexico onions continue to be shipped and will be ending around the second week of August….Yellow, white and red onions loadings will start from the Delta and Montrose area of Colorado about August 20th….These same colored onions are starting out of Utah about the third week of September….Idaho and Oregon onion shipments are expected to start early this year, around August 1st.
Peruvian Asparagus
Imports of asparagus from Peru, primarily to Florida and other eastern ports is expected to be similar to a year ago. Supplies in the first eight months of 2014 ranged from 2.6 million pounds in February to 18.3 million pounds in August. However, arrivals are expected to peak the last four months of this year. Last year, there was about 26 million pounds shipped to the U.S. in September 2014, 28 million pounds in October, 24 million pounds in November and 26 million pounds in December.
Southern New Mexico onions – grossing about $3200 to Atlanta.
Gearing up for the new season of storage onions out of the Northwest, here is some information as produce haulers you might find interesting, if not helpful.
Oregon and Washington state, rank number one and number two respectively when it comes to shipments of onions out of storage.
In July 2012 the Oregon Department of Agriculture issued some facts and figures. In the 2011 season Oregon onions ranked 11th in the state’s top 40 commodities list at a value of approximately $92 million.
Oregon was ranked first nationally for storage onion production, accounting for 27 percent of total USA supplies.
The Pacific Northwest provides the nation with strong volumes of storage and non-storage onions. Oregon ranked first and Washington ranked second nationally for onion production during 2011. A total of 174.5 million hundredweight of storage onions were produced in 2011.
Onions grown in Malheur County are part of the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion growing region and represent significant volume for the state. According to the 2012 Agripedia, published by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, Malheur County accounted for 56 percent of Oregon’s total production.
The Pride of Washington State was released this past October. Washington ranked number two nationally for its production of all summer onions in 2011, accounting for 21.2 percent of national supplies. The commodity ranked number 16 among the state’s top 40 commodities during 2011, with an approximate value of production of $121.6 million.