Onion World February 2021

ONION WORLD Voice of the Industry • OnionWorld.net • February 2021

J&S Farms Inc. Makes

MORE MONEY PER ACRE

PLUS: Drone Discussion Crop Protection Essentials NOA Rides Into Cowboy State For the Advertiser Index click here

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Table of Contents Magazines For Maximum Yield

ONION WORLD Volume 37, Number 2

February 2021

PO Box 333 Roberts, Idaho 83444 Telephone: (208) 520-6461

www.O n i o n W o r l d .n e t Onion World Contacts

6 NOA Rides Into Cowboy State NOA Annual Convention

Publisher / Advertising Manager Dave Alexander dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Editor Denise Keller editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

10 More Money per Acre J&S Farms Inc.

14 Crop Protection Essentials Buyers' Guide

Director of Operations Brian Feist brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

EDITORIAL INFORMATION

16 Drone Discussion

A Critical Look at Crop Imagery in Onion Production

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.

ADVERTISING SALES For information on rates, mechanics, deadlines, list rental, direct mail, inserts or other information, call (208) 520-6461 or email: dave@onionworld.net

SUBSCRIPTIONS U.S. $24 per year Canada $40 per year Foreign $80 per year Payments may be made by check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

The NOA annual convention was held Dec. 6-9 in Cheyenne, Wyo. These awards recognize R.T. Stanley for Governmental Affairs Advocate of the Year and Top Air, Inc. as the 2020 Promotions Champion. See the story on page 6.

On the Cover Eric Jemmett and his partners at J&S Farms Inc. run a farm and consulting and research business in Parma, Idaho.

See the story on page 10 to learn more.

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Onion World • February 2021

Departments 13 20 20 21 22

Disease Quiz Calendar In the News New Products From the NOA

Subscribe online at: www.OnionWorld.net or call (503) 724-3581.

Email address changes/corrections to brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or mail to: Onion World PO Box 333 Roberts, ID 83444 Onion World magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), 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 2021. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group.

For information on reprints call (208) 520-6461.

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NOA Annual Convention

NOA Rides Into Cowboy State Story and photos by Dave Alexander, Publisher

Here to Help

he National Onion Association (NOA) annual convention was actually held in person Dec. 6-9 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, but still had a strong virtual agenda. There was person-to-person networking to be done and the usual award banquet was held, but the key presentations were delivered remotely on a large screen at the Little America Hotel and Resort via Zoom teleconferencing.

Attendance was down appreciably due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but those that made the trip found answers to many questions on topics including trade and food safety.

USDA Under Secretary of Trade Ted McKinney had a message to the growers watching his Zoom talk: we are here to help.

“We want to do anything and everything we can for those of you who produce onions,” he said, declaring that his phone and door are always open and encouraging NOA members to give him feedback.

One way that McKinney’s agency is helping the industry is by calling on Panama to honor its World Trade Organization agreements. U.S. onion exporters have been hindered by Panama’s decision to restrict imports to only those within 75 days of harvest.

“We will not let Panama put up all these false trade barriers based on some ridiculous timing on harvest,” he said.

Trade relations with Canada have also been on McKinney’s agenda. Tipped off that onions were entering the U.S. without being checked by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, McKinney and his agents went to work. They found several violations.

Onions crossing the border, going north or south, are supposed to be inspected first and then re-inspected after crossing by the other country. Some trucks headed south were skipping their pre-inspection.

In response to the tip, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) started doing spot, surprise and unannounced checks. In October 2020, AMS found no infractions, but McKinney said the spot checks will continue.

“We’re not going away. We’re not going to let cheating and what we got passed through USMCA (United States-MexicoCanada Agreement), we’re not going to let it backslide,” he said.

To hear McKinney’s full presentation, including comments on trade with Europe and Southeast Asia, visit https://youtu. be/h_BIo5-yA_U.

Kimi Maag with Jamieson Produce in Vale, Ore. (left) receives acknowledgment at the NOA banquet from the NOA’s Rene Hardwick for signing up three or more new members.

Using Zoom to deliver his message, Under Secretary for Trade Ted McKinney addresses NOA members gathered at the annual convention in Cheyenne, Wyo.

From left, John Harris accepts the NOA Promotions Award from NOA President Doug Bulgrin and Rene Hardwick, NOA director of public and industry relations.

T

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Onion World • February 2021

Diners enjoy the banquet at the NOA annual meeting in early December.

Produce Safety

Dr. Eduardo Gutierrez-Rodriguez with Colorado State University may be a new name to many, but he is anything but an onion rookie. A former director of quality at a freshcut facility in Costa Rica, where he oversaw onion growing and processing for retail and fast-food restaurants, and a former researcher in California and North Carolina, GutierrezRodriguez is now an assistant professor in fresh produce safety.

Gutierrez-Rodriguez, along with industry and academic collaborators in Colorado and California (the latter led by Dr. Susan Pheasant of Fresno State’s Institute for Food and Agriculture), is trying to fund a study and start an advisory board that will look into identifying Salmonella risk factors when growing onions.

In the meantime, and while the onion industry waits to hear the final outcomes from the outbreak investigation being performed by the FDA, Gutierrez-Rodriguez suggests some best practices to evaluate and potentially reduce the risks of onion contamination with human pathogens:

•Do field assessments during the cropping cycle and right before harvest, focusing on: o atypical weather conditions, o field contamination from atypical animal intrusion, and o adjacent land use such as proximity to animal operations that can produce runoff or dust.

• Watch for cross contamination between curing and harvest, paying attention to the sanitation of burlap sacks and plastic bins.

• Check water quality and, if needed, treat the water with a scientifically validated treatment. o When using canals to irrigate, know the quality of backwater prior to use.

• Keep packinghouse clean. o Implement cleaning breaks between individual lots of onions. o Develop clear lot identification (traceability). o Keep interior of shed and onion contact surfaces as dry as possible. o Clean and sanitize without increasing moisture levels.

COVID-19 permitting, the NOA summer convention will be held in July 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee.

OnionWorld.net

7

NOA Annual Convention

On the Side

Tuesday afternoon was an open spot on the schedule that would normally have been used to catch up on emails, take in another Zoom meeting or to even play golf in the unseasonably warm Cheyenne weather.

Instead, John Harris with Paradigm Fresh rented a bus and organized an impromptu fieldtrip for convention attendees. Stops were made at the new NOA headquarters in Eaton, Colorado; Fagerberg Produce in Greeley, Colorado; and Harris’ Paradigm Fresh in Fort Morgan, Colorado. The tour gave attendees the opportunity to see onion operations they otherwise would not have had.

8

Yellow onions come off the bagger at Fagerberg Produce.

NOA members tour Fagerberg Produce’s impressive packing plant.

An employee sorts yellow onions at Fagerberg Produce.

Onions are prepared for shipping at Paradigm Fresh.

NOA members tour and pose at the new NOA headquarters.

John Harris (right) gives a tour of Paradigm Fresh in Fort Morgan, Colo.

Onion World • February 2021

Ryan Fagerberg (left) and Colby Cantwell represent Fagerberg Produce in Greeley, Colo.

Greg Yielding, NOA executive vice president, points out the finer details of NOA’s new home in Eaton, Colo.

NOA members can purchase pavers with their name and company logo on them, which will be added to the brick walkway in front of the new NOA building.

Onions are ready to ship at Paradigm Fresh in Fort Morgan, Colo.

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OnionWorld.net

9

Four Star Ag

More Money per Acre Story and photos by Dave Alexander, Publisher

O

nion growers have a constant goal to make more money per acre.

Overhead, yield and quality all play into this changing equation.

Eric Jemmett with J&S Farms Inc. in Parma, Idaho, has found a unique way to add to the farm’s bottom line. In addition to growing several different crops including a few hundred acres of onions, he is also a trained and operating contract researcher.

All for One

J&S Farms grows onions, potatoes, carrots, beans, wheat and corn in an area that stretches 10 miles and 30 truckminutes end-to-end. The land, which is approximately half owned and half leased, is all used for row crops, none with pivots. The farm’s yellow onions,

Dell Jemmett can always be found at J&S Farms during harvest.

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Onion World • February 2021

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grown for McCain onion rings and Boise River Pack, are irrigated with drip tape. About 90 percent of the onions are yellows, but the Jemmetts also grow a few reds and whites to sell on the open market.

J&S Farms is operated by brothers Eric, Michael and Brian and cousin Jarom. Each partner has his own specific function in the company. Eric keeps busy with managing potatoes and research; Michael manages employees, carrot seed and dry beans; Brian handles HR, bookkeeping and record-keeping; and Jarom manages onions and corn.

When it’s harvest time, however, everyone is on hand, jumps in and works hard.

“It’s one for all, all for one around here,” Eric says.

Prior to harvest, Jemmett carefully manages the tops on his white onions to maintain quality. Knowing when to cut water, lift and harvest white onions takes some practice, but Jemmett says most years, it works. They have never bagged them and have been able to harvest them straight out of the field.

J&S is a third-generation operation.

Jemmett’s grandfather Dale started the farm. He passed it to his sons Dell and Glen, who have now passed the farm to their sons. Dell and Glen still work in an advisory role, grooming their sons into an efficient workforce and operating equipment during the “all-for-one” harvest.

Challenges

Jemmett says his biggest challenges for growth are labor, rising input costs and low commodity prices. Urban sprawl is also creating new challenges by driving up land prices.

Like most growers, J&S struggles to find reliable labor. Luckily, they have a small but stable crew every year, many of the workers now in their 60s and 70s.

Hiring local younger seasonal workers is not working out well, though.

“We’re not difficult to work for, but these people did not want to work. They didn’t fulfill their work contract. They had to be let go,” Jemmett says.

Getting workers to show up is an annual recurring issue for Jemmett, but COVID-19 also wrecked work schedules in 2020. Many people tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer, but the farm was able to maintain a safe working environment, the grower says.

The farm has turned to the H-2A program, which has brought much needed stability to the workforce. These workers are more dependable and consistently do a good job, Jemmett says.

In Conjunction

Jemmett has always been interested in research. While working toward his ag science and technology degree at Brigham Young University-Idaho, he got to know researchers and studied research techniques. Even before he finished his master’s degree at the University of Idaho, he realized that contract research could be incorporated in the farm.

“We had the ground and many crops, and I thought this will work well in conjunction with our farm,” he recalls.

He saw that universities were being overrun with research requests and recognized that they only have limited space for trials. In addition, chemical companies often have new products with

Trucks stay busy during harvest at J&S Farms in Idaho’s Treasure Valley.

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J&S Farms Inc. unknown efficacy that they may not yet want to include in published trials.

With this knowledge in hand, he created Jemmett Consulting and Research, which he also manages. The contract research has allowed J&S to use the farm’s existing acreage to make more money per acre.

Jemmett says it takes a while to get established, though, because trust must be earned from potential clients. He does crop research on a majority of the crops grown in the Treasure Valley, including onions, potatoes, wheat, dry beans, carrots, corn, sugar beets, hay, mint and hops, for many agriculture companies including Gowan, Bayer, Syngenta and Corteva.

Trial plots are set into production fields, giving Jemmett a research niche and real-world results, which his clients appreciate. This unique approach allows J&S Farms to maximize its resources, making more money per acre.

The Jemmetts have several of these diesel-powered mobile filter stations for irrigation that they designed and had built by Clearwater Supply. The filters have computerized back-flushing.

Eric Jemmett holds colossal yellows grown for onion rings.

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Onion World • February 2021

Onion Disease Quiz

This material is provided courtesy of: Bhabesh Dutta, Associate Professor and Vegetable Disease Specialist, University of Georgia Ron Gitaitis, Professor Emeritus, Phytobacteriologist, University of Georgia

A variety of diseases can affect onions. Being able to recognize the symptoms of various diseases can go a long way in implementing effective management strategies.

Below are four photos of diseases of onion, along with some key information about each.

Can you identify each disease?

1. This disease starts out as small, oval-shaped lesions surrounded by pale, greenish “ghost-like� haloes. Lesions of this serious and destructive disease coalesce, resulting in extensive dieback and blighting. (Photo courtesy David B. Langston, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org)

2. Internal symptoms in onion bulbs include watersoaking and brown to grayish-black discoloration of the inner scales with white to gray mycelium in the neck. Severely rotted bulbs show decay of the fleshy scales, shrinkage of the bulb, and black sclerotia can be observed in the neck and shoulders of the bulb.

(Photo courtesy Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

3. Lesions of this disease are elongated, small, sunken and whitish with a reddish-violet center.

Concentric light and dark zones later appear over part or all of the discolored area. These necrotic areas may enlarge (up to 4 inches long) and become covered with black fruiting bodies (spores). Leaves wilt and die. (Photo courtesy Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

4. The pathogens of this disease survive on infected crop debris and in soil. Favorable environmental conditions include high moisture, high humidity, and cool to moderate temperatures. In some instances, seedlings fail to emerge, while in other instances, the collar regions of seedlings are attacked on the surface of soil, resulting in soft rots and seedling collapse. (Photo courtesy Howard F. Schwartz, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org)

Answers on page 20

OnionWorld.net

13

Crop Protection Essentials Buyers’ Guide Disinfecting Services LLC • www.disinfectingservices.net Harvest 6.0

Harvest 6.0 is an EPA-registered and OMRI-listed versatile sanitizer and disinfectant that utilizes two powerful active ingredients: hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid. Both of these elements working together strengthens the product’s ability to eliminate and protect against fungus and bacteria in a combination that is both effective and environmentally friendly.

This is one of the strongest disinfectants on the market labeled for onions, potatoes and other crops including seed potatoes. It is also an effective disinfectant for equipment and cleaning storage facilities. Harvest 6.0 helps to control bacterial soft rot, ring rot, early blight, Fusarium dry rot, silver scurf and late blight.

Gowan Company • www.gowanco.com Zing! Fungicide

Zing! Fungicide is a premix protectant fungicide combining zoxamide and chlorothalonil in an easy-to-use liquid SC formulation. The combination of zoxamide and chlorothalonil works to enhance the performance beyond each individual product. These products have been successfully controlling diseases for several years in the labelled crops with no documented resistance in the field. Zing! Fungicide provides excellent control of key diseases like early blight, late blight, downy mildew, anthracnose and more.

Registered for use on onions, potatoes, cucurbits and tomatoes, Zing! is an excellent choice, adding multi-site, multi-mode of action to your resistance management program.

Jet Harvest Solutions • www.jetharvest.com Jet-Ag

Jet-Ag is a peroxyacetic acid (PAA) broad-spectrum fungicide, bactericide and algaecide. Jet-Ag works great for broad-spectrum activity and is an indiscriminate killer on contact against Erwinia, Botrytis, anthracnose, Pythium, Fusarium, Colletotrichum, Penicillium, powdery and downy mildew, bacterial soft rot, Xanthomonas leaf blight and much more.

Jet-Ag is also a very effective thermal fog post-harvest tool against storage rots.

The versatile product offers a zero-hour restricted-entry interval (REI) and zero days to harvest. It is exempt from pesticide residue tolerance requirements and has no mutational resistance. Jet-Ag is OMRI certified and can be applied through chemigation, by ground rig or aerially.

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Onion World • February 2021

Oro Agri • www.oroagriusa.com ORO-RZ

ORO-RZ adjuvant improves the efficacy of soil-applied pesticides and nutrients. When tank mixed with pre-emergent herbicides, it improves soil hydraulic conductivity, even in hydroscopic soils, to move the herbicide solution into soil pore spaces to lay down a uniform barrier of herbicide protection.

ORO-RZ, when applied with nutrients such as Nanocal, distributes the application uniformly throughout the soil profile, boosting efficient uptake by the root system.

Nichino America, Inc. • www.nichino.net Torac Insecticide

Torac insecticide controls thrips in onions and other bulb vegetables (Crop Group 3-07). The active ingredient in Torac, tolfenpyrad, works by blocking cellular respiration and is effective on immature and adult stages of thrips. Because Torac causes rapid cessation of feeding in the pest, it also aids in reducing the transmission of Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV).

Torac belongs to the METI (Mitochondrial Electron Transport Inhibitor) class of compounds and is an IRAC Group 21A insecticide. Torac is an excellent rotational option to manage resistance in spray programs for onions. For effective resistance management, Torac should be used in rotation with insecticides of different modes of action.

Terramera • www.tryrango.com Rango

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Field trials have demonstrated efficacy in controlling insects such as onion thrip, western flower thrip, aphids, lepidoptera species and spider mites, as well as diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew in onions, leafy greens, cole, cucurbits, tree fruit, berries and others.

Rango controls target pests on contact or by ingestion. It offers multiple modes of action as an anti-feedant, insect repellent, growth regulator and fungal growth inhibitor.

Rango is OMRI-listed and classified as an “NC” FRAC Code – no known resistance, making it an excellent rotation or tank partner in IPM programs for organic and conventional operations.

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Drone Discussion

A Critical Look at Crop Imagery in Onion Production

By Kyler Beck, Research Support Scientist, University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center

D

A drone comes in for a landing after collecting images of an onion field at the University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center.

rones are more readily available to onion growers than ever before.

Fields and ditch banks have been transformed into miniature airstrips and landing platforms with drones being used to transport tools such as insect sweep nets and deliver anything from small doses of pesticide to cages full of beneficial insects.

Of primary interest to many in the industry, however, has been the use of drones to carry advanced imaging equipment and collect imagery data.

Interest in these tools has facilitated the formation of an entire crop imaging industry within the agricultural sector in recent years so that today the technology is available to nearly everyone.

But despite the widespread availability, it appears that interest from some growers in this technology is diminishing. There could be a number of reasons for this. For example, the cost of hiring someone to collect and process images or to purchase and use the equipment itself may very well be keeping some from trying out these tools altogether. However, some of the disinterest I have witnessed is from those who have tried out the technology but have found that it failed to live up to the expectations of usefulness that had gained their interest in the first place.

Therefore, I want to briefly answer two important questions: what is the role and practical use of crop imagery in onion production at the present time, and what are the factors limiting its current uses?

Role of Crop Imagery

Crop imagery has at least the potential to remotely (from afar) diagnose and map onion disease. Thus, remote sensing research is important to the onion industry because the mapping of plant stress and disease within a field is a prerequisite to precision crop protection. In other words, the projected goal of modern agriculture – applying fertilizers and pesticides only

16

Onion World • February 2021

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Drone Discussion when and where they are needed – leans heavily, if not entirely, on the ability to first specifically and accurately account for the spatial variability of disease.

Exploration of the Technology

At the University of Idaho Parma Research and Extension Center, we are currently in our third year of evaluating remote sensing as a tool to diagnose and map pink root in onions. When measuring individual leaves, root disease does not appear to have a distinguishable impact on the color spectrum of onion, suggesting that disease symptoms are, in some cases, too subtle to be identified.

However, when measuring a group of onion plants from overhead, as a drone does, the stunted foliage of root-diseased plants may, if severe enough, result in an altered color spectrum.

To be clear, this change is not unique to root disease and can equally result from

abiotic stressors (e.g. drought, lack of fertilizer) or variations in plant growth stage. Therefore, the data suggest that crop stunting overwhelmingly impacts the color spectrum so that remote sensing imagery of an onion crop is primarily an illustration of relative foliar ground cover. For a limited but explicative depiction, see Table 1. This is also the case when imagery data is translated into a Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) heat map (Fig. 1) or a heat map of other commonly used vegetative indices.

Present Practical Applications

So, what is the potential of onion imagery as it stands, and how can it be practically used in onion production?

Given the overwhelming sensitivity of onion imagery to foliar ground cover, it can be used primarily as a tool to monitor foliar growth. Images acquired

Figure 1. In this Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) heat map of an experimental onion field in Parma, Idaho, green, yellow and red represent high, moderate and low NDVI values, respectively. The values directly (positively) relate to how much leaf material is present in each pixel.

Photo courtesy Dr. Jae Ryu, University of Idaho

18

Onion World • February 2021

at similar points within a growing season in different years may provide an indication of how a crop is progressing in comparison with past years. If one is responsible for many acres of onion ground, imagery may prove to be a useful first step in identifying problematic areas upon which to focus scouting efforts.

Furthermore, if particular areas of a field consistently result in smaller onion plants, further efforts can be initiated to determine the cause of the issue through intensive soil sampling. Finally, in cases where herbicide drift damages an onion crop, imagery may be useful in quantifying the area affected for insurance purposes.

Limitations to Advanced Uses

Those interested in using imagery to make crop management decisions must rely on pre-established relationships (developed and validated in scientific studies) between crop reflectance and crop health. This leads us to consider two primary limitations of remote sensing at the present time.

First, subtle differences among onion leaf reflectance, such as those which may indicate disease stress, are overwhelmed by the effect of leaf amount when imaged from above. A group of onion plants that are stressed for nitrogen may be lighter green in color compared to a non-stressed group of plants. However, if the nonstressed group are smaller in size (i.e. slightly later emergence) the larger,

Table 1. Image, area composition, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) value and associated color spectrum of three individual measurement locations from an experimental onion plot in Parma, Idaho

however, that information is of limited practical use by itself. Until the impact – or lack thereof – of each individual disease which could be present within a growing region is characterized and documented, precision crop protection will remain a goal instead of progressing into a reality.

The Future

yet stressed, group will be identified as healthier using common imagery tools like the NDVI. This challenge will continue to limit the advanced use of imagery unless extremely detailed resolution images can be acquired (< 1 inch pixels) and soil pixels are removed prior to the generation of vegetative index heat maps.

Second, the impact of onion stress and

disease upon crop imagery data (crop reflectance) has not been extensively researched. If the overall goal is to collect crop imagery of a field and to be able to map areas of stress and disease, then we must have a good grasp on how all types of stress and disease impact onion imagery. Extensively researching the impact of one disease is surely interesting and does contribute to the overall goal;

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Remote sensing as a tool still has limitations. Yet, with these limitations in mind, we are better able to strategize for the future. With regard to future research efforts, conducting a widespread survey of the possible onion diseases in a particular growing region with detailed spectral sensors would be a foundational step in the right direction. In this capacity, a plant diagnostic lab seems to be a naturally suitable place to carry out such efforts.

There is only one thing we can say for sure about the future of crop imagery in onion production: it will be determined by the actions and interests of growers and researchers.

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OnionWorld.net

19

In the News

Colorado, California Researchers Look for Grower Input, Participation

Researchers in Colorado and California are submitting proposals for funding to collaborate with growers in both states to identify and quantify risk profiles for various pre- and postharvest onion practices.

These profiles will be used to update the existing dry onion bulb food safety guidelines, identify clear steps and metrics that the onion industry can use to assess risk during production, and provide insight to growers under challenging environmental conditions or operational practices. The current dry onion bulb food safety guidelines are 10 years old, and industry knowledge has expanded over time. The proposed project will also address 24 red, white, yellow and sweet onion varieties commonly grown in Colorado and California.

The research team is led by Eduardo Gutierrez-Rodriguez, a newly appointed Colorado State University assistant professor in fresh produce safety, and partners with Susan Pheasant with California State University, Fresno’s Institute for Food and Agriculture.

The proposed project looks to develop the base quantitative risk profiles for the most common dry bulb onion practices in California and Colorado to address common practices where the current Salmonella outbreak could have originated.

The onion industry has already provided significant input via listening sessions and conference calls to help design a project with direct benefit to growers. Growers have volunteered access to their farms, to their farming practices and to onions grown in their fields to test the project’s hypothesis.

The researchers are encouraging additional grower and industry involvement. In particular, they are seeking industry members to serve on a project advisory committee and to help locate a small packing line suitable for bulb onion handling. To participate, contact GutierrezRodriguez at egr10@colostate.edu or Pheasant at spheasant@csufresno.edu.

Lender Predicts Breakeven Returns in Onions

The 12-month outlook calls for “breakeven returns,” according to Northwest Farm Credit Services’ quarterly Market Snapshot report published in early January.

“Supply and demand indicate prices could increase, yet producers are sensitive to continued COVID-19 restrictions in the foodservice industry,” the report states.

Stocks on hand are some of the lowest the industry has seen in the past five years, and demand has been steady and brisk. The report points out that these two factors should indicate a strong price; however, the market has not reacted accordingly.

USDA payments could determine if growers will see positive returns or not.

The report lists two programs that could positively impact returns to growers: the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) 2 and another round of the Farmers to Families Food Box Program.

Onions were included in prior purchases under this program, which helped bolster prices last summer.

Calendar Feb. 9

Utah Onion Association Winter Meeting Online Dan Drost, (435) 797-2258 or dan.drost@usu.edu

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

Call (970) 353-5895 to learn more.

20

June 24-26 United Fresh 2021 Los Angeles www.unitedfresh.org

Onion Disease Quiz Answers From page 13

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

Onion World • February 2021

1. Botrytis leaf blight 2. Botrytis neck rot 3. Purple blotch 4. Damping off

New Products

BioSafe Starts New Year With New Product

BioSafe Systems has introduced CalOxFT, an advanced liquid nutritional and crop enhancement product for a wide range of crops including onions. The patented CaT technology in CalOx FT is meant to improve calcium mobility and distribution to support better crop health.

Calcium primarily relies on water and the transpiration channel to move through the xylem of a plant, which is inefficient and can result in calcium deficiencies in certain plant parts, according to BioSafe.

CalOx FT is designed to unlock a more effective pathway for calcium to move within the plant. This is said to optimize plant health by delivering more uniform distribution, reducing calcium-related disorders, and bolstering plant growth and development.

Visit www.biosafesystems.com.

Company Offers Economy Soil Moisture Meter

Spectrum Technologies Inc. has released the FieldScout TDR 250 Economy Soil Moisture Meter as the latest addition to the TDR product line. The new model offers the same measurement accuracy at a more affordable investment, according to the company.

The TDR 250 is a tool to help irrigated row crop and vegetable growers capture soil moisture spot measurements for effective irrigation scheduling.

The meter measures soil moisture (volumetric water content) in less than a second, with settings for standard, hiclay or sand texture soils. With a rugged T-handle frame and LCD display, the user-friendly TDR is built to capture accurate spot measurements across the field. All of Spectrum’s TDR meters offer interchangeable soil probes at varying lengths, so users can choose the best option for their crops’ root zones.

Visit www.specmeters.com.

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OnionWorld.net

21

From the NOA

Let’s Move Consumption up With Nature’s Ninja Marketing

By René Hardwick, National Onion Association Director of Public and Industry Relations

T

he onion industry has endured decades without a mascot or theme to really impress new buyers. For many onion marketers out there, the big concern is about the brand, and rightly so.

But while your brand might mean quality, or nutrition, or safety, or uniqueness, the onion will always be the onion to buyers.

Many don’t know one brand from another, or the many qualities an onion can bring into their overall health or cooking. They just know they either like onions or they don’t.

That’s why we at the National Onion Association (NOA) have been working to market the onion – all onions – as nutritious, body-building, immunity-boosting, flavor-enhancing goodness through Nature’s Ninja for the last two years.

The concept of Nature’s Ninja is simple. Ninjas have skills. When you think of the onion, the onion has skills – just like a ninja: •Survivor — From its hard, papery skin keeping bacteria at bay to its pungent juices preserving itself, the onion was built to survive the elements.

•Master of disguise — From the outside, the onion seems

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Onion World • February 2021

unassuming and simple. But there’s a warrior inside ready to fight disease.

•Resourceful — The onion also has many properties to keep those who eat it healthy. While it helps sustain a healthy gut, it can also help your mental health – have you have a good cry lately?

•Adaptable — It can tempt the taste buds in a variety of forms to create just the right mixture of tastes to add the perfect touch to your meals.

•Stealthy — Who hasn’t minced an onion to slip into recipes without being noticed? We know chefs who have turned their onions into butter to help infuse onion flavor into their dishes.

The NOA has membership throughout the country selling all kinds of great onions, from Vidalia to Walla Walla to Sunions. You may have heard this before: it was an onion first. And frankly, not all onion growers and packers have their own marketing programs.

That’s in part why we created Nature’s Ninja, to represent ALL onions. After a COVID -19 delay, the NOA now has created its Nature’s Ninja Marketing Program, which allows our membership to use our trademarked Nature’s Ninja in their marketing messages of all kinds, as well as packaging.

The program is a way to market onions – mostly the unbranded ones – with a fun, colorful character that can reach younger buyers who perhaps know nothing about the many ninja skills the onion has.

The program allows NOA members to use Nature’s Ninja on their wineglass tags with a small percentage of the costs going back to the NOA marketing program. We offer it to members only, who use NOA members to produce their labels. The cost is $250 per year and certification that your organization adheres to food safety guidelines.

If you think about it, it’s a pretty easy and not-so-expensive way to get some marketing into your onion program. We have a special website, www.naturesninja.org, that has recipes for each type of onion, nutrition information, blog posts and trivia to which the labels can drive traffic. We have ninja dolls and ninja lapel pins for giveaways (at a small cost), and with proper notice, we can order more in bulk. That’s a far cry from spending hundreds of thousands each year for marketing services. You also would be free to use Nature’s Ninja in your social media messaging; we have many ready-made Facebook and Instagram posts.

Onion consumption per capita has been hovering around 20 pounds per year for the last several years. Isn’t it about time to move the needle? If you’d like to take advantage of this program but you’re not an NOA member, signing up is easy. Our membership prices are some of the lowest in the country for associations and lobbying organizations. You can find all the information you need on membership at www.onions-usa.org/members/membership. Or feel free to call the office at (970) 353-5895.

The NOA's Nature's Ninja marketing program includes ready-made Facebook posts such as the three shown here that feature yellow, white and red onions.

NOA members can use Natureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ninja on their wineglass tags.

OnionWorld.net

23

Young Onions Need A Hero!

Danger is lurking in your fields...

Protect your start-ups from onion maggots and onion seed corn maggots. Get a hero.

Sepresto, Regard® SC or FarMore FI-500 (containing Spinosad), offer direct-seeded onion growers early season disease and insect protection for a healthy crop start. We apply these in a protective coating to the seeds themselves, through a safe, controlled and accurate delivery.

The protectant works at the most critical time of plant development, in the place where it’s needed most—right on the germinating seed and emerging seedling - so your seeds can thrive and grow with a reduced threat of early damage.

Young onions need a hero - count on Seed Dynamics, the seed protection pros.

Call today for more information toll free 866-321-9747, visit our website seeddynamics.com or contact one of the seed heroes listed below.

Gowan Seed Company Chualar, California Mike Rainie, 831-679-1900 mrainie@gowanseed.com

Seedway

Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania Khris Carlson, 717-367-1075 kcarlson@seedway.com

Clifton Seeds

Moravia, New York Mark Upton, 315-604-1098 marku@cliftonseed.com

Rispens Seeds, Inc.

Beecher, Illinois Ross Rispens, 708-712-3332 rrispens@aol.com

Seminova

Quebec, Canada Cesar Chlela, 877-337-8423 cesar.c@agrocentre.qc.ca

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ONION SEED

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Bejo Seeds Inc.

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Gowan Seed

Chinook Equipment, Inc.

Nunhems

Clearwater Supply, Inc.

Seedway

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CROP INPUTS

Verbruggen

Nutrien

Univerco

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National Onion Association

Suberizer