Summer Onion Harvest Jumps 5%

WASHINGTON - Oct 4/07 - SNS -- Summer storage onion production is forecast at 54.1 million hundredweight (cwt), up 5% from last year, according to the USDA.

Harvested area is forecast at 105,680 acres, down 4% from 2006. The yield, at 512 cwt per acre, is up 46 cwt from last year.

Planting of California's storage onion crop was on schedule despite some delays due to rainfall. After planting, early mild temperatures and timely rainfall helped the crop to progress well initially. However, cool temperatures in the San Joaquin region slowed crop development, delaying harvest up to several weeks. No major disease problems were reported.

In Colorado, restrictions on irrigation water and labor shortages led to lower acreage this year. Hail damage and disease outbreaks during the season further reduced acreage and negatively impacted yield.

In Idaho, growing conditions have been favorable. In Michigan, the onion crop has been in excellent condition this season. Harvest began on schedule in August. Late season plantings benefitted from timely rainfall during August. However, early planted onions were smaller in size due to drought conditions in June and July. No major problems have been reported.

New York received sufficient rainfall in the eastern and central areas of the State. However, the western region received very little rainfall which resulted in some loss of acreage due to abandonment. Malheur and Other Oregon producers expect higher yields this season due to less damage from thrip and the yellow spot virus. In Washington, harvest is underway and quality of the storage onion crop is reported to be very good. Wisconsin experienced hot and dry conditions during the early part of the year, then too much moisture later in the season.

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