Fagerberg’s Kinoshita: Onion crop looking good
Fagerberg’s Kinoshita: Onion crop looking good
The onion harvest will ramp up for Fagerberg Produce in late July, as the company begins with its transplants and then moves to the seeded crop in early September.
“We will have everything in storage by the first week of October,” said Sales Manager Alan Kinoshita.
The company is based in Eaton, CO, and works with a grower network to produce and market conventional and organic onions. Volume is comprised of reds, yellows, whites and some sweet onions.
“We increased acreage about 20 percent this year,” Kinoshita commented, adding that some new circles were planted in the Fort Morgan, CO, area. The strategy was to diversify the location of fields in cultivation to minimize impact attributed to weather.
Looking at production, Kinoshita said, “We’re a week to 10 days behind because of cool May weather.” While it’s too early to predict onion sizing and quality, the overall assessment is that the crop “looks good.”
Labor continues to be a thorny issue for growers, and Kinoshita said labor has been tougher to deal with during the past several years owing to the care that must go into harvesting onions. “It’s a high expense,” he commented.
Fagerberg Produce generally markets onions into March under the “Mile High Legacy” and “Mountain Pride” labels. Sweet onions are marketed under the “Colorado Sweet” label. The company also offers private label to meet customer requests.
The onion volume sold within Colorado ranges between 15-20 percent. The balance is marketed to customers in the Midwest, Southeast and Northeast. Three-pound bags have been good sellers for yellows, and consumers have favored both two- and three-pound bags for whites. Reds are available as a bulk item and are also sold in two- and three-pound bags at customer request.
This season, Fagerberg will introduce a new logo and label for packaging. “It’s a little bit of an old-style label,” Kinoshita told The Produce News.
