Onion World January 2023

PO Box 333

Roberts, Idaho 83444

Telephone: (208) 520-6461 Circulation: (503) 724-3581

OnionWorld.net

ONION WORLD CONTACTS

Editor Denise Keller editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

Publisher / Advertising Manager Dave Alexander dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

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Onion World is interested in newsworthy material related to onion production and marketing. Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com, or call (509) 697-9436.

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Onion World magazine (ISSN 0892-578X), is published eight times a year and mailed under a standard rate mailing permit at Idaho Falls, Idaho and at additional mailing offices. Produced by Columbia Media Group PO Box 333, Roberts, ID, 83444.

Copyright 2023. All rights reserved.

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Putting Down Roots

Story by Denise Keller, Editor Photos by Dave Alexander, Publisher

Anew marriage, a new baby and a new farm all within a few years. Add in the challenges of the pandemic and record-high farm input costs, and one might argue that if Conrad and Kody Williams can make it through all this, they’re in it for the long haul.

The Williams family farms 1,100 acres in Fruitland, Idaho, including 150 acres of onions, with the remaining acreage in potatoes, corn, wheat and alfalfa. This year will be their fourth season farming on their own.

Growing up, Conrad had spent time on his family’s hay farm. After studying agriculture at the University of Idaho, he worked for other farmers for four years. Similarly, Kody had grown up on her family’s feedlot operation, studied agriculture at Washington State University and returned to the family farm in eastern Washington.

Ready to take the next step, Conrad began looking for an opportunity to farm row crops on his own. His grandfather suggested he talk to Dell Winegar, an onion grower in Fruitland. Winegar was ready to retire but didn’t have anyone to take over his farm. The two came to an agreement for Williams to purchase Winegar’s farm and all the row crop equipment. Conrad relocated to Idaho in the fall of 2019 and worked alongside Winegar as he harvested his final crops.

“There are not many people that want to get into farming. It’s really tough financially for small family farms to get started,” Conrad says. “Without the help of the Winegar family, we wouldn’t have been able to be raising row crops down here in Idaho just because of the cost of the equipment.”

In the spring of 2020, Conrad and Kody planted 300 acres, including 30 acres

A crew harvests yellow onions at Williams Farms in August 2022.

of onions. Winegar showed the young growers the ropes the first year, teaching them the nuances of farming that Idaho ground. Each year, they have increased the farm’s onion acreage, from those first 30 acres to 60 and from 110 last year to 150 planned for this year.

“It’s going faster than what I thought it would. Personally, I had a goal – I didn’t tell very many people – but I wanted to be farming 1,000 acres by the time I hit 30 years old, and I did it,” Conrad says.

He shares some of the credit for achieving his goal with Winegar, who helped him get started and continues to live across the road from the farm.

“He sits up on the hill and looks out his living room window and watches us young kids carry on his farm. I think he enjoys that,” Conrad says.

Growing Pains

Settling in on their new farm, the Williamses could see the property needed some upgrades. The irrigation system demanded the most immediate attention, with the furrow irrigation system’s aging pumps, 225 acres of siphon tubes and cracked 100-year-old concrete ditches resulting in flooded fields. Winegar had known the updates were needed, but had chosen to not make the investment so close to retirement, Conrad says.

The young grower has made a lot of improvements, including putting in new center pivots and reducing 225 acres of siphon tubes to 16 acres. He’s initiated the use of soil moisture monitors and improved irrigation scheduling, which has resulted in a more consistent soil moisture level and made a big difference in the crops.

In onions, he has had to learn the ins and outs of drip irrigation after having grown onions under center pivot irrigation in the Columbia Basin of Washington. The biggest challenge in the crop has come with the addition of 10 acres of white onions last year. As a result of machine harvesting and field curing during an extended period of temperatures over 100 degrees, the onions experienced sunburn and the skin of some bulbs turned green.

“It’s a whole different game than raising yellows and reds. Every little detail matters when it comes to whites,” Conrad says, adding that he will consider changing the timing and method of harvest this year.

Along with the hiccups that come with being a new grower are the obstacles facing most growers, including a tight labor supply, extreme weather and rising input costs.

To contend with the lack of labor in the area, Williams Farms has been utilizing the H-2A guest worker program, which has been a game changer the last two years, according to the growers. Farm work throughout the season from planting to harvest has been completed on time with the help of the reliable labor.

“I think the key to farming is developing a program that works well for you, and timing is everything. So to have a crew of guys that we don’t have to worry about finding another job because

Conrad, Kody and Cal Williams grow onions, potatoes, corn, wheat and alfalfa.

Exploring nature never stops

TANIA

New short day yellow granex introduction: Strong upright tops with great plant habit. High yielding deeper granex shape, strong root system, and firm bulbs. Pink root and bolting resistance.

Earliness: Early main Sowing period: 09-15 - 09-25

Taste: Sweet Pyruvates: 3.6 Lacrymatory Factor: 2.8 Shape: Granex IR: Foc; Pt

RED SENSATION

Early maturing grano red. Strong healthy tops. Pink root resistance. Excellent bulb firmness and color. Uniform round bulbs. Good internal color. Widely adapted across short day growing regions. High percentage single centers.

Earliness: Early Sowing period: 09-25 - 10-05

Taste: Very sweet Shape: Grano IR: Foc; Pt

ALISON

Late season short day yellow granex with upright tops. Deeper high yielding granex shape. Bolting resistance and very uniform. Strong outer skin layers. Produces well sized bulbs that result in good yields. Great option to fill later season slot in Vidalia.

Earliness: Late Sowing period: 09-25 - 10-05

Taste: Very sweet Pyruvates: 3.5 Lacrymatory Factor: 2.4 Shape: Granex IR: Foc; Pt

PIRATE

Main Season short day yellow granex. Attractive lighter colored skin. Uniform and extra firm bulbs with high yielding deeper granex shape. High percentage of jumbos. Great post harvest appearance. A widely adapted variety across many short day regions.

Earliness: Main Sowing period: 09-18 - 09-28

Taste: Sweet Pyruvates: 3.4 Lacrymatory Factor: 2.6 Shape: Granex

IR: Foc; Pt

Onions are lifted prior to harvest at Williams Farms. Williams Farms harvests 150 acres of onions in 2022.

they came here on a contract to work with us, they want to work, and they do a really nice job and everything just seems to flow, that’s been huge,” Kody says.

Through the program, Williams Farms hired two workers the first year and four the second year. They also invested in building worker housing on the farm last year.

“I don’t think I could farm long term if I couldn’t do the H-2A program because there’s just no one around here who wants to work,” Conrad adds.

A Young Family Farm

Despite the challenges faced in farming, Conrad and Kody are living their dream. Conrad loves the freedom of setting his own schedule and enjoys time in the fields. Kody never imagined living anywhere other than a farm.

“There’s a lot of risk. It’s a lot of hours. I think a lot of people are scared of the hours. But if you want to farm, it’s in your blood and you just have to do it. You just have to go and you can’t stop,” Conrad says.

“You have to have a deep passion for this field for it to work,” Kody agrees. “Raising my kid on a farm, I don’t think there’s any better place to grow up. I think we truly enjoy getting to work outside, getting to grow a crop for people that sometimes maybe they don’t even recognize how much work went into it, and then going into the grocery store and seeing onions. I love that.”

The growers would like to eventually increase production to 1,800 to 2,000 acres and hope to build a shed to pack and market their own onions in the next five to seven years. They would also like to see more young people pursue farming, but recognize the difficulty in getting started. In fact, given the rising number of corporate farms in the industry, they fear that few family farms will remain. They believe keys to longevity will be to find a niche or specialized market for their products and to work hard to consistently produce high quality crops.

“The farmers that grow good onions or good potatoes every year and are consistent and work hard to make sure they do that every year are the ones that last a long time,” Kody says.

We take perfect care of your onions.

Williams Farms grows yellow, red and white onions in western Idaho.

Onion Disease Quiz

This material is provided courtesy of Claudia Nischwitz, Associate Professor and Plant Pathology Specialist, Utah State University.

Many diseases can affect an onion crop. Correctly identifying the problem is crucial to choosing the proper solution. What is wrong with these onions?

Answers on page 15

Cause For Concern?

and photos by Denise Keller, Editor

Extreme weather is creating more challenges in the field. Waning product efficacy is making disease management more difficult. With all this and other pressing issues in the onion industry, there was plenty to talk about at the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association Conference, held Nov. 16-17 in Kennewick, Washington.

Cool, Wet Spring

James Woodhall, a plant pathologist at the University of Idaho, spoke about the impact of a cool, wet spring on diseases of onions, a timely topic given Pacific Northwest weather conditions during spring 2022.

If Mother Nature repeats herself with another cool, wet spring, growers should be on the lookout for soil-borne diseases, including those caused by Fusarium, Rhizoctonia and Pythium. Fusarium, which can cause seedling damping off and seed rot, is associated with pinkish or sometimes yellow roots. Rhizoctonia shows up in brown roots and causes seed rot, root rot and stunting. Pythium can cause symptoms soon after planting, including gray, water-soaked roots that are easy to slough off, as well as seed rot, seedling damping off and root rot, ultimately leading to smaller bulbs.

In addition to soil-borne diseases, wet spring weather can exacerbate foliar diseases including downy mildew and Stemphylium leaf blight. Wetter springs have shown higher levels of Stemphylium spores, according to Woodhall. Cool, wet spring weather may also involve frost, which can cause leaf tip damage. This can enable pathogens such as Stempylium to colonize in the leaves.

“Is it all bad news?” Woodhall asked. “I actually think that it’s not. I’d rather have a cool start than a really, really hot start like we had in 2021. It’s all about getting the bulbs at a decent size before those really hot summer temperatures hit.”

Experiencing a cool, wet spring is not the end of the world, Woodhall said. However, growers need to know which soil-borne diseases are present

Story

James Woodhall, a plant pathologist at the University of Idaho, speaks about how a cool, wet spring impacts diseases of onions.

Zane Beams and Donavin Buck with Seedway show off the company’s onion varieties.

in their fields. Soil testing may be useful in certain instances to monitor a particular problem but can be difficult to deploy effectively for pathogens such as Pythium, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium due to the large species complexes.

To manage soil-borne diseases, growers should use treated seed and consider using a soil treatment at planting. Fumigation will also play a part in disease management. Woodhall reminded growers that Pythium is an oomycete and requires a different class of fungicides to control than true fungi. He rounded out his recommendations with crop rotation, good ground prep, avoiding compaction, and scouting.

When scouting for soil-borne diseases, look for yellowing of leaves and uneven stand, paying particular attention to patchy distribution rather than uniform distribution, which might suggest a chemical issue as opposed to a soil-borne disease. Pull up plants and look at the roots, and consult a lab when necessary, Woodhall advised.

Seed companies like Keithly-Williams see the PNVA trade show as a valuable opportunity to promote their onion offerings.

UNITED STATES

Lancaster & San Joaquin Valley (661) 978­5342

Desert Southwest (928) 446­7737

Colorado & New Mexico (970) 396­9728

Idaho, East Oregon, Utah & Nevada (208) 941­1421

Skagit Valley, Washington (360) 941­7503

Rio Grande Valley & West Texas (956) 618­5574

MEXICO

Torreón, Coahuila (461) 117­3878

Colima, Col. (461) 104­0134

San Luis Potosi (461) 140­9452

Chihuahua (461) 171­9401

Tamaulipas (461) 134­2421

Irapuato, Gto. (461) 546­5792

Copper Tolerance

Talk of tolerance to copper products generated considerable interest from growers and field reps during a presentation from plant pathologist Lindsey du Toit with Washington State University. du Toit delivered an update on Stop the Rot, a four-year multi-state research project on onion bacterial diseases.

Among research results, she reported on the team’s preliminary work on copper tolerance in strains of bacteria collected for the project. With an extensive collection of bacteria from across the U.S. and the full DNA sequences generated for a subset of these strains, researchers at the University of Georgia are screening the genomes of the bacteria for the presence of copper tolerance genes. They have found copper tolerance genes in about 50 percent of the strains of Pantoea agglomerans screened so far and are testing whether the presence of these genes correlates with actual tolerance of copper. Some strains collected from onion plants in the Columbia Basin were able to tolerate up to 300 ppm copper, which is very high, according to du Toit.

Washington State University displays samples of onion varieties grown in the Pacific Northwest.

Nico Smit explains how Ball Technologies’ seed counter works.

Verdesian sent Luke Wildhaber to the PNVA conference to explain the company’s nutrient technology.

Ben Bauman with AquaTech Irrigation visits with PNVA trade show attendees.

There’s much work to be done, but du Toit believes it’s extremely important work as it potentially will demonstrate how much control growers in various regions realistically can expect from copper applications. In the Columbia Basin, du Toit and colleagues have seen almost no control of onion bacterial rots in four years of field trials with various copper products. In contrast, some degree of control of bacterial diseases has been observed in trials in Vidalia, Georgia. The Stop the Rot team plans to evaluate bacterial strains from different regions to see if there are differences in the prevalence and degree of copper tolerance among geographic regions and among strains within regions. With the very extensive use of copper sprays in the Columbia Basin on a wide range of crops, it would not be at all surprising to find a high prevalence of copper tolerance, du Toit said.

“If so, it will be a paradigm shift in how growers in this region approach management of bacterial diseases in onion crops and other crops,” du Toit said. “As I’ve stated all along since the start of this Stop the Rot project, effective management of bacterial diseases in onion crops is primarily going to be achieved with careful cultural practices – particularly irrigation, fertility and end-of-season cultural practices that facilitate rapid field curing of the necks of onion bulbs.”

Jennifer Uranga with Gem Ag Professionals discusses the details of the H-2A guest worker program.

Emily Merk with Restrain fields questions about the company’s sprout inhibitor products.

Gregory Szot mans the Unitec booth at the PNVA conference.

CALENDAR

Feb. 6–7

Empire State Producers Expo

The Oncenter Syracuse, N.Y. www.nysvga.org

Feb. 7

Idaho-Malheur County Onion Growers Association Annual Meeting

Four Rivers Cultural Center Ontario, Ore.

Sarah Freeman, (208) 888-0988, sarah@amgidaho.com

Feb. 7

Utah Onion Association Winter Meeting

Bridgerland Technical College Brigham City, Utah

Dan Drost, (435) 770-4484, dan.drost@usu.edu

Editor’s note: To have your event listed, please email Denise Keller at editor@ columbiamediagroup.com. Please send your information 90 days in advance.

The onions have Fusarium basal rot, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae.It is a soil-borne pathogen that can infect all Allium species but most commonly causes damage in onion and garlic. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cepae is specific to Allium crops.

Onion bulbs are infected through old root scars or wounds caused by equipment and onion maggots or other insects. Optimum soil temperatures for infection are between 77 and 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Generally, resting spores serve as initial inoculum and germinate to infect the basal plate through wounds.

Photo 1 shows above-ground symptoms in the field. Due to the rotting basal plate and reduced root growth, plants cannot absorb adequate nutrients and water to maintain leaf or bulb health. After rotting the basal plate, the fungus migrates into the scales, causing brown discolored tissues (Photo 2). Occasionally, white mycelia can be seen between scales (yellow arrow in Photo 2).

Ninja Skills

Let's use these skills to increase consumption through the Nature's Ninja Marketing Program.

Call (970) 353-5895 to learn more.

Skills: While its nutrients help ward off disease and build immunity, the onion provides amazing flavor to any meal, is healing, and sustainable

Management options are limited, but resistant onion varieties are available. If the resistant varieties do not have the desired growth and quality characteristics, crop rotation of four or five years out of onion or garlic can reduce disease incidence. In some states, pre-plant fumigation may be an option, as well.

ONION

Precision Ag Essentials Buyers' Guide

Industrial Ventilation, Inc. (IVI) •

Imperium Storage Control Panel

www.ivi-air.com

IVI’s Imperium storage control panel directs optimal conditions for stored onions. Users can precisely control airflow, carbon dioxide, humidity and more and easily retrieve valuable historical data to aid in setting parameters. This powerful system for onion storage protection offers straightforward operation right at the user’s fingertips. The IVI app allows for off-site monitoring and control.

The Imperium storage control panel is made in the U.S.A. under the supervision of the engineers behind the innovations. The company’s eye is always on improvement and technological advances, driven by growers’ needs in working with IVI’s service and sales team.

TT-248 Turbo Top

Turbo Top’s TT-248 is a self-propelled two-bed onion harvester. Green onions are one of Turbo Top’s specialties, allowing growers to start harvesting earlier and control their curing. Day or night harvest? Turbo Top is capable of both. Adverse conditions? Turbo Top can work through the toughest of conditions. The TT-248 has dual 48-inch-wide pickup elevators for a total harvest pickup width of 150 inches, allowing onions to be picked up how they are grown without windrowing to reduce damage.

Turbo Top can be equipped with John Deere Greenstar Precision GPS to allow the harvester operator to follow planter tracks and reduce operator fatigue.

TT-248 is powered by a 330-HP John Deere Tier IV Final Package engine. It has infinite cab control of fan speed, primary chain speed, ground speed, load boom speed/movement, cutter bar height and front elevator depth. A large topping area eliminates weeds/debris and allows even the greenest tops to be sorted before topping.

SprayMate Plus

SprayMate Plus rate control console is a plug-and-play replacement for out-of-date and discontinued rate controllers of most major brands. Customizable options and advanced features let users manage inputs with absolute peace of mind. Micro-Trak has adapter cables available to connect SprayMate Plus to existing systems, no matter the brand. Micro-Trak stands behind its products with a three-year limited warranty and is committed to providing repair service for consoles past the warranty period.

L&M Specialty Fabrication • www.turbotopharvester.com

Palletizing Equipment

Symach has a long history of palletizing onions and innovating to provide customized modular designs to guarantee a high stacking rate with maximum flexibility. From 50-pound bulk onion bags to complex Octabins, Symach handles all customers’ palletizing needs.

The company also offers options to stabilize the pallet at the end of the line, including wrapping and double stacking, and palletizing within the margins of the pallet to ensure ease of loading during the shipping process.

Palletizers

Onion packers throughout the United States continue to rely on Verbruggen’s automated palletizers to efficiently handle their crucial onion stacking processes. The palletizers are proven and trusted within the industry for their ability to handle difficult to stack onion bags, cartons and RPCs with high-speed efficiency and superior stacking results.

Verbruggen utilizes the latest in technological innovations and design with over 30 years of dedication and commitment to staying on top of onion product stacking solutions. Verbruggen palletizers are produced in the Netherlands and are designed to fit each customer’s needs and application, including different configurations, models for capacity, function and dual-purpose stacking capabilities including important compression technologies.

Verbruggen palletizers include exclusive control software, along with design, installation, commissioning, parts and service support provided by a robust team located in Washington state. The company also has a streamlined design and quotation process.

Market Reset

By John Harris, Founder, Paradigm Fresh Inc.

he landscape of the onion industry has changed drastically in the last couple of years. Gone are the days of $6.50 FOB jumbo yellow contracts and freight for under $2 per mile. COVID changed more things in the spring of 2020 than anyone could have imagined. First was the dramatic rise in freight costs and diesel fuel across the country, followed by a shortage of labor, which was already a concern, and then the rising cost of production followed swiftly behind.

This is my 19th year behind an onion desk, and before that, I grew up on an onion farm as the son of a grower/packer/ shipper. I haven’t seen as much as some in the industry, but with my background and time on the sales desk year-round, I consider myself as well connected to the ebb and flow from region to region as just about anyone in the country.

Three years ago, FOB’s month-to-month and historical market averages were easy to predict, generally speaking. Contract pricing was never intended to try and get ahead of a market, but rather secure a seat at the table and secure a quality product for the timeframe set forth. The cost of production and freight has risen so dramatically in the past 2.5 years that anything we used to know and assume now has to be thrown out the window.

Whether you contract product for months at a time or buy on the day-today spot market, the way things used to be done have been completely reset. Three years ago, a $3 spread between a medium and a jumbo size would have been considered dramatic. Three years ago, trucks were only tight on a Friday afternoon or a holiday week. Three years ago, you could offer to buy a block of product and get a discount on a volume purchase. Three years ago, everything was different; everything looked a lot like an entire decade that had come before it.

TToday, the market between a medium and a jumbo size onion can be double. Freight can go up $1 or more per mile in a matter of days. In this new post-COVID world we are living and doing business in, the FOB cost of product in most cases is at least twice what it was three years ago, and our growers are still not making enough to cover growing and storage costs in some cases. Retailers have enormous pressure from consumers and the government to keep food prices down as much as possible. The pressure on shippers to keep prices up and the pressure from buyers to purchase aggressively have never been at such odds.

There isn’t a lot that can be done immediately about any of these circumstances. No matter which side of the buy or sales desk you sit, you need to reset your way of thinking if you have been in this industry for any length of time. Not only are we seeing a dramatic rise in FOB cost from our local growers in the U.S. coupled with ever-rising freight costs, but we are seeing a huge influx of imported product from around the globe cross our borders, as well. Mexican product has been coming across for a month already. Spain, Peru, Egypt and other parts of the world are shipping onions daily to ports throughout the U.S. Canada has and likely always will be a huge importer of onions into the U.S. given its growing proximity to the U.S.

With that said, many of these countries are also large importers of U.S. product throughout the year, which balances things out to some degree. It impacts how companies are buying and sourcing and what they are paying on a delivered basis. The U.S. onion market is becoming more global than ever.

The changes we see happening before us are only going to continue to become more normalized trends of the future. It’s time to reset our brains from everything we have learned in the past. The dramatically higher cost of production

isn’t going away. Cheap labor isn’t coming back. The challenges associated with our aging over-the-road truck driver labor force are not going to suddenly improve. Higher delivered costs are here to stay. We don’t have to agree that this is the new world we are going to live in permanently, but embracing that this is where we are going to be for the foreseeable future will brighten our path forward for years to come.

Knowledge is power and those that seek out all the new things that are upon us will create opportunities others will miss out on because they can’t reset their way of thinking.

John Harris is the president and founder of Paradigm Fresh and Colorado Cold Connect in Fort Morgan, Colorado. He can be reached at john@paradigmfresh.com.

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