Haun Packing cites normal crop, good quality and increased volume
Haun Packing cites normal crop, good quality and increased volume
“We’re bringing some in and shipping some out,” Herb Haun, vice president of Haun Packing, said on Sept. 3 of his family’s Weiser, ID-based operation’s 2014 onion season.
“We started packing on August 14, which is about normal for us,” Haun said. “And then onions themselves are also very normal this year — good quality, and our volume will be up from last year. But it’s still early, and we don’t really know how things will turn out until we get all the onions into storage.”
Haun noted that harvest is expected to be complete by the first part of October, and the shed was hitting volume in September.
“We’re at that high point now, shipping between 15 and 20 loads a week,” he said.
Sizes in the Treasure Valley were reported to range from some mediums to jumbos, with water the deciding factor.
About the water shortage in parts of the growing region, Haun said, “We made it [to the end of the growing season], even though it was a daily battle. But we know we’re blessed to have made it all the way through.”
Haun Packing will ship into March as it customarily does with its mix of yellow, red and white Spanish Sweets. Volume is heavy to yellow, with 80 percent of the crop in that color of storage onion, 15 percent to red and 2-5 percent to white.
Regardless of onion color, the Treasure Valley aims for the jumbo Spanish Sweet — a 3.75- to four-inch jumbo onion, and Haun said, “There are a lot of jumbos this year.”
Haun Packing’s customer base is largely foodservice, and Haun said that the majority of his onions are shipped to receivers east of the Mississippi. Most of the onions are shipped in cartons and 50-pound bags, with a small quantity going out in consumer packs. Labels are “Hoc,” “Golden Sun,” “Honey Sweet” and “Royal Stuart.”
