After the first month of shipping 2022-03 onions from his company’s Nyssa, OR, facilities, Snake River Produce General Manager of Sales and Marketing Joshua Frederick said in late September that demand had begun to level and movement to be good.

“Things have been moving at a steady pace,” Frederick said. “Demand out the gate was in abundance, but now that we here at SRP are in our fourth full week of shipping. It’s leveled out, which we needed to happen so we can focus on getting our crop put away in storage for the season.”

Frederick said the operation uses a few of its warehouse employees for harvest season, and he noted, “It’s nice to have that slight break for a couple of weeks.”

Looking at what had led the pack in fresh crop shipments, he said, “Medium yellows were the hot item out of the field and out for shipment the first couple weeks when we shipped a lot to be repacked for retailers. These past couple of weeks now it’s been a steady mixer of all three colors and sizes for the most part. The end of this week jumbos were in pretty good demand, which worked out great.”

The Nyssa shed started putting onions in storage the week of Sept. 12, and Frederick said the storage crop was trending to jumbo and colossal yellows.

Frederick also said he doesn’t expect any shortages on his colors, saying the growers had planted the same number of reds for 2022 as they had in 2021. “And we increased slightly on our whites and yellows by a few acres,” he added.

At the start of 2022 grower-owners Kevin Corn and Chris Payne, both of whom have been with SRP for several years, purchased all shares from the operation’s previous partners and established full ownership. In June Corn and Payne introduced produce veteran Joshua Frederick as GM.

With the new ownership and management, SRP has seen other changes, including new retail packaging. And, Frederick said, “Some new packaging designs are coming in the future, along with new equipment to offer more consumer packs. In the next five years, we plan to offer more for retailers, and we are also continuing our relationships with foodservice as well.”

In terms of industry affiliations, the longstanding Treasure Valley grower/shipper company remains a member of the Idaho-E. Oregon Onion Committee, the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Fruit & Vegetable Association, the National Onion Association and Certified Onions Inc.

Snake River Produce is also maintaining its online presence, and Frederick said a new Facebook page was introduced this year. He added, “We also updated and redesigned our website at www.snakeriverproduce.com.”

Looking at the season thus far, Frederick said while growing conditions had been tough, “God has been so faithful to us. Our weather that we have fought all season offered up the challenges of rain and wind and cool temps from April to June. Then it switched in July to extreme heat and still heavy winds. But with that said, overall we have been able to succeed at having a manageable crop that has produced great yields and quality.”

He concluded, “What we are packing to what we are putting away for storage has great quality and size, and for that we are grateful. Our crews and farmers are who make us what we are today and we are blessed to have them on board with us this season at Snake River Produce.”

Onions bagged and ready to go at Snake River Produce in Nyssa, OR. The storage crop is coming in with good yields and sizes trending to jumbos and colossals. Photo courtesy of Snake River Produce