CALIFORNIA & NEVADA - As California’s colder season moves in and holiday ads pop up, what can key produce categories expect to see for some of the biggest eating days?

When it comes to onions, Steve Gill of Gill’s Onions took the time to give me some insights on the market and any effects that might be seen as Thanksgiving approaches.

“We just finished harvesting in King City,” Steve shares, adding that Gill’s currently has adequate volumes to meet its customers’ supply needs. “Everything is doing good as far as quality.”

Weather, too, has been favorable, despite some recent rain across the state. And while Gill’s target is more of a value-added demographic, Steve shares that Thanksgiving does mean some spike for demand.

“We see an uptick in diced onions supplied for Thanksgiving, which has about a ten day running time,” he says, commenting that this occurs about two weeks before the holiday.

On a broader scale, Steve shares that up North the market is seeing a considerable stock of promotional volumes for large, high-quality onions. “Things are a bit slow-moving, or so I’ve heard.”

Jessica Peri of Peri & Sons shares that overall market supply from the Northwest, Midwest, and New York is plentiful. Currently, the company is growing in Nevada, and she assures me that there will be no shortages this Thanksgiving.

“Thanksgiving is a major food holiday. We are already getting run over with orders especially on the East Coast as our retailers are front loading for the holiday,” Jessica says. “We are going into the holiday a bit oversold; I anticipate a bump in pricing for December.”

Another factor for prices to possibly strengthen come December, she mentions, is that product should be in from the field within a few weeks.

When I ask Jessica about the overall market, she too shares that things are moving a bit slow currently.

“There is an overabundance of supply globally. Export is weak which is contributing to the oversupply and weak prices,” she explains. “From what I’ve heard there are still onions in the field in the Northwest waiting for storage buildings to be cleared out. We are lucky Mother Nature has been on our side. I think December will bring stability to the market. Thankfully, our main production in Nevada are white onions; that market seems to be the strongest.”

Currently, Peri & Sons is moving all onions into storage, which Jessica explained is three weeks later than normal. Quality, however, has been great and she is confident the onions will continue to look good moving into the heart of the storage season.

“Sweetie Sweets shipments started slow in September and by late October we saw heavy demand. Our increased acreage will help us supply our customers through December. We are thankful for our loyal customers who support our onion programs. We have wonderful customers who appreciate our hard work and premium onions,” Jessica says.

As we get ready to wrap up the final months of 2016, AndNowUKnow will continue to follow fluctuating markets throughout the rest of the year and beyond.

Gill's Onions Peri & Sons