On June 5, information in the National Potato and Onion Report was updated with data from the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The following data were provided regarding the 2015 onion season in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

According to the report, demand for yellow mediums was moderate, and demand for other varieties was reported as good. “Market about steady,” the report stated.

Pricing was reported as follows. Fifty-pound sacks of super colossals sold between $16-$18, with most falling in the range of  $16-$17. Colossals were selling for $15-$16, and jumbos were generally $14. Mediums sold in the range $8-$10.

Fifty-pound sacks of white jumbo onions sold between $14-16, with most falling in the range of $15-$16. Mediums sold between $14-$15.

Forty-pound cartons of red flat jumbos sold between $16.85-$19, with most selling at $18.95. Mediums sold between $14-$15.

Twenty-five pound sacks of jumbo globe type onions sold at $12, and mediums generally sold between $9-$10.

According to AMS, a total of 601 truckloads and 79 piggyback loads had been shipped for the season to date as of June 5. Both numbers are greater than loads shipped at the same time in 2014.

In the report, Vegetable and Pulses Outlook, issued by the Economic Research Service on May 1, USDA provided some insights about the 2014 California onion season. According to the report, California dry summer onion volume for 2014 was set at approximately 1.986 billion pounds, an increase of 22.4 percent compared to 2013 production.

California, noted as the nation’s largest producer of dry summer onions, accounted for 31 percent of national supplies during 2014.

Jessica Peri, retail sales manager at Peri & Sons Farms, provided The Produce News with some insights about California onion production. “We are seeing more demand for high-end onions,” she stated. “High polished onions contribute to the look of the produce department.”

Companies like Peri & Sons that have year-round onion marketing programs have seen success at retail. In the case of Peri & Sons, the company grows, packs and markets its own onions, thereby ensuring the highest product quality as onions make their way through the production cycle.

Sweet onions continue to garner favor among consumers.

“More and more people are becoming health-conscious,” Peri said of the success of the category.

Peri & Sons doesn’t rest on its laurels. “We’re always trialing new varieties to see what may happen,” Peri stated.