U.S. Spring Onion Harvest Sinks 12%

WASHINGTON - Sep 2/05 - SNS -- End-of-season spring onion production in the United States is pegged at 10.6 million cwt (100 pound units), down 12% from last year, according to the USDA.

Acres harvested, at 34,100, are down 4% from a year ago, while yield, at 310 cwt per acre, is down 27 cwt per acre from 2004. The value of the spring crop is estimated at 252 million dollars, 6% more than last year.

Harvest of the Arizona spring onion crop is complete. The California spring onion yields are down this year due to variable conditions across the State. Below normal temperatures and rain caused problems early in the season in some areas. Some intended acreage was never planted due to wet field conditions. Also, wet conditions during development caused mildew in some fields.

In Georgia, a hail storm in late March combined with wet spring growing conditions reduced harvested acreage. By mid-May, only 35% of the crop had been harvested, 25 points below average. However, harvest finally caught up and by mid-June the crop was mostly harvested.

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