From his office in Parma, ID, Champion Produce Sales President John Wong said in early September that the 2014-15 Spanish Sweet onion crop had started shipping on Aug. 18.

Sheds at Champion Produce, Tamura Farms and Giant Produce are “all going strong,” he said.

“Our harvest will likely run into October, and so far the weather looks very good,” Wong said. “The crop was early as far as maturing, with heat in late June and early July bringing it on seven to 14 days ahead.”

He continued, “The past few years the crop has been a little late due to weather. This year is working out to be an earlier season because after the heat it was cooler at the end of July going onto August. I think we’ll see a lot of harvest going into storage the second week of September.”

The team at Champion Produce Sales is made up of Dwayne Fisher, Cheryl Leavitt, Ross Sevy, Monica Gibbens, Brad Dines, DeDe Fogg and John Wong. (Photo courtesy of Champion Produce Sales)Heat affected the sizing to some degree, and Wong said, “There are not as many colossals and super colossals, but it’s a really nice crop, and we couldn’t ask for more ideal conditions. Right now cooler weather is predicted, which is a positive thing.”

The onion veteran said quality “at this point is excellent,” and he said Champion Produce Sales has a good range of sizes available.

“Overall it won’t be a bumper crop, but I believe our quality will be excellent. We’ve gotten off to a really good start with good demand, and we’ll ship into March.”

Dwayne Fisher, vice president of Champion Produce Sales, said drip irrigation has helped overall in quality. Tamura Farms has been 100 percent drip since 2005. Champion Produce is now at approximately 90 percent drip on its fields, and Giant Produce is at 70 percent.

Additional storage has been added to the sheds recently, and technological upgrades include a temperature transfer system along with high-efficiency fan and lighting systems.

Onions from all three sheds are tested by Certified Onions Inc. for chemical residue and pathogens, and food-safety certifications include Primus, GFSI and USDA GAP and GHP.

“We’ve got it dialed in right now,” Wong said of the company’s program. “We continue to make upgrades and provide worker safety education classes and have implemented noise and dust reduction.”

In response to questions regarding labor, both men agreed that the labor pool is tighter this year and in past seasons.

“Labor is tight and wages are up,” Fisher said. “It’s getting harder and harder to find skilled labor on the farm. There are good jobs available, but it’s harder to find people to fill those jobs.”