Because water is a wildcard for Colorado’s agricultural producers in 2012, companies like Fagerberg Produce will not delay harvesting of their crops. Sales Manager Alan Kinoshita said this year’s onion crop will come on earlier than it did in 2011. “Because of water, we will take the onions when they’re ready,” he said.

The company,Fagerberg Produce installed new consumer bagging machines to facilitate customer orders. Seen here is Sales Manager Alan Kinoshita. (Photo courtesy of Kathleen Thomas Gaspar) located in Eaton, CO, works with a grower network producing reds, yellows and whites. A total of 1,400 acres were planted to onions this season. “Last week, there were already some three-inch high onions out there,” he stated. Mr. Kinoshita said he expected the first onion shipments to begin around July 23, roughly one week ahead of the 2011 start date.

Colorado is experiencing atypical weather conditions this year, and temperatures in the Denver metropolitan area burst the mercury bubble into the triple digits for a sustained period during the latter part of June. Effects of the prolonged heat wave were being experienced throughout the Centennial State. “Temperatures have been record-breaking,” Mr. Kinoshita noted. “The onions are fine as long as they are wet.”

For some agricultural producers — especially those situated in the South Platte River Basin in northeastern Colorado — the water situation is precarious. According to Mr. Kinoshita, Fagerberg Produce has secured adequate water rights to produce its crop. With its more northerly location, Mr. Kinoshita said, “Here, we have a reservoir system in place. If the reservoirs are full, we can draw on them.” He said officials analyze snowpack and runoff annually to determine the amount of water to be released from the reservoir system. “Water is less than 50 percent of normal in the very northern part of the state,” he added.

Onions are marketed by Fagerberg Produce under the “Mile High Legacy” and “Mountain Pride” labels, and marketing occurs throughout the year. The company also markets sweet onions imported from Peru under the “Colorado Sweet” label. Private label is also available at customer request.

Approximately 15 percent of Fagerberg Produce’s onions stay in Colorado, with the majority of volume sold to markets in the Southeast and Northeast. “Thirty-five to 40 percent of our onions go out in consumer bags,” Mr. Kinoshita went on to say. Three-pound bags have been good sellers for yellows, and consumers have favored both two- and three-pound bags for whites. Reds are generally sold as a bulk item. “We have a few customers that take a two-pound or three-pound red bag,” he added.

This season, the company installed a new sorter and four new consumer-bagging machines to facilitate customer orders. On the food-safety front, Mr. Kinoshita said, “We will be Produce Traceability Initiative-compliant by this fall.”