WALLA WALLA, WA -- As mid-May weather brought rain showers and warm temperatures to the Walla Walla Valley, grower-shippers of the region's namesake sweet onions were universal in their optimism that this year's crop, which will be the 105th official, will be big in both volume and size profile.

According to Mike Locati, chairman of the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee, harvest of the overwintered fields was expected to begin sometime during the first two weeks of June, and the spring transplant fields will be dug from mid-July into August. Shipments will go through mid-September, although shippers with heat-curing and extended storage capabilities will likely add several more weeks to their season.

"Right now it's cooled off, and things are slowing down a little," Mr. Locati said on May 5. He added that the onions were expected to size larger prior to digging. A warmer than normal winter had some growers concerned about the onions going to seed early, but Mr. Locati said that he had seen very little bolting.

"All in all, we have a pretty good-looking crop, he said. "Knock on wood, because you never know what kind of weather you'll get before harvest.

At the offices of the WWSOMC, Director of Marketing Kathryn Fry said that acreage this season is comparable to last year's 1,200 total acres farmed by approximately 40 growers. Some 900 acres are planted in the fall for overwintering and the remaining 300 are in spring transplants.

An average yield for Walla Walla sweets is 650 50-pound units per acre, although 2004 saw a reduction in that number resulting from frost. While lower numbers normally help prices, last years production out of Vidalia lowered the market. This season, with Vidalia's numbers off and other sweet onion growing areas facing weather challenges, Walla Walla could well see a much better season.

"After a bad year, you say you're not going to get too cocky, Mr. Locati said. "We want a good price and a good crop, and we're optimistic that this will be a fair year. Things are lining up to indicate a fairly good season.

Dean Bowers, who, with his wife, Toni, raises Walla Walla sweets at Valley Chapel Farms, said that growing conditions for the 2005 crop have been considerably less extreme.

"Last year it went from 65 degrees to minus 22 in 48 hours, he said. Valley Chapel Farms lost 90 percent of its crop. "I had to pack a lunch to find an onion, Mr. Bowers quipped.

"Three years ago, we had storms move through, and pea-sized hail hit our fields. We've found there are certain things we can control and certain things we can't control, he added.

At Walla Walla Gardeners' Association, General Manager Bryon Magnaghi noted, "The temperatures have gone up and down. We were a little worked after the warm weather in February, but then it cooled off for quite a while. At this point, we're not seeing bolting, and we have good-sized onions that will continue to size. So I think we'll have a good supply of colossals and jumbos and possibly some super colossals.

Harry Hamada of Pacific Packers and Walla Walla River Packing said that the current crop is "better than last year's, and Mr. Hamada noted that the market has also improved.

And Steve Woiblet, who this year will market Walla Walla sweets through Walla Walla Gardeners' Association, said that Walla Walla "will be one of the first deals to have good volume of colossals.

Gerry Ruzicka of Frost Farms concurred, saying on May 11, "A lot can still happen to this crop, but as far as right now, it's looking very good.

(A full report on the Walla Walla onion deal appears in the May 23 issue of The Produce News.)