March/April 2016
ONION WORLD
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ONION WORLD Volume 32, Number 3
March/April 2016 4 8
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Denise
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Crop Management, FSMA Compliance Headline Annual Meeting
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Empire State Producers Expo
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Medicating Onions for Thrips Infestations: New Remedies to Consider
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The Onion House
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Treasure Valley Onion Hall of Fame
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EDITORIAL INFORMATION 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: dkeller@columbiapublications. com, or call (509) 697-9436.
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Don Ed Holmes, owner of The Onion House in Weslaco, Texas, checks out some onions ready for shipment. Photo courtesy The Onion House. See story on page 14.
On the Cover Don Ed and Janie Holmes, owners of The Onion House, LLC, say-long term relationships with growers and buyers are key to the success of the onion packing and marketing firm. Photo courtesy The Onion House
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Onion World magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published 8 times a year and mailed under permit #410, paid at San Dimas, CA 91773. It is produced by Columbia Publishing, 6777 NE Vinings Way #1324, Hillsboro, OR 97124. Copyright 2016. 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 Publishing. For information on reprints call (208) 846-5955. CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED Send to: Onion World, 6777 NE Vinings Way #1324, Hillsboro, OR 97124
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Idaho and Malheur County Onion Growers Associations
Crop Management, FSMA Compliance Headline Annual Meeting Story by Denise Keller Photos by Mike Stoker
T
he prevalence of internal dry scale and internal bulb rots in the Pacific Northwest onion crop, and the complexity of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) earned each issue a spot in the lineup of discussions at the Idaho and Malheur County Onion Growers Associations annual meeting held Feb. 2 in Ontario, Oregon.
Internal Dry Scale, Bulb Rot Internal dry scale and the associated bulb rots are being called the new bane of the Pacific Northwest onion industry. Internal dry scale became a more prevalent concern in the Treasure Valley of Idaho and eastern Oregon, as well as the Columbia Basin of Oregon and Washington, two years ago. The problem was even more prevalent in 2015 than in 2014, according to Lindsey du Toit, a Washington State University vegetable seed pathologist. “Last year was the worst of all the years I’ve worked with onions,” du Toit reported. “In 15 years, I’ve never seen a season quite like this last one.” The primary driving force behind this problem appears to be environmental stress, du Toit said. Periods of extreme heat stress
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Onion World
are believed to cause the crop to slow down physiologically, resulting in leaf-tip dieback or collapse of leaves in the neck. In turn, the top ends of one or more internal fleshy scales dry and collapse. Furthermore, although internal dry scale does not cause bacterial or fungal rots, it does increase the risk of bacterial or fungal colonization of internal scales as the tissue dies and collapses. Production practices seem to be strongly correlated with internal dry scale, du Toit noted. In particular, du Toit is getting a strong sense that careful management of irrigation might play a role in reducing the severity of the problem. Based on past research, she believes that during periods of very hot weather – like the Pacific Northwest experienced the last two summers – an onion crop slows down physiologically, transpires less and reduces the uptake of water. Growers, however, do not want to fall behind on irrigation during hot weather and, thus, may tend to water more. “I think that perhaps if growers can monitor more closely the use of water by the crop and modify their irrigation to stay in tune with what the crop is using, perhaps we can reduce the excessive irrigation,” du Toit said.
She also cautioned growers to not push irrigation too late in the season when the crop starts shutting down early. Although growers may want to irrigate later in the season to increase bulb size when yield has been reduced by heat stress, doing so can significantly increase the risk of necks not properly drying down and further encourage bulb rots. du Toit and colleagues are planning a research trial this summer to look at some of the main factors that appear to be associated with internal dry scale and to get a better understanding of the degree to which irrigation management may be able to alleviate the problem.
FSMA Requirements In a separate presentation, Oregon State University (OSU) professor Stuart Reitz got into the nuts and bolts of the FSMA produce safety rule and reminded his audience to not confuse the rule’s so-called “die-off provision,” which recognizes the natural die-off of Escherichia coli (E. coli) that occurs during field curing and pack-out of dry bulb onions, with an exemption from the rule. “The die-off provision lets us irrigate our crop, which is great. But onions, as fresh
The Saito family was on hand at the Idaho and Malheur County Onion Growers Associations annual meeting, during which Reid Saito (far right) was inducted into the Treasure Valley Onion Hall of Fame.
Ron Mio (far left) enjoys lunch with his family at the Idaho and Malheur County Onion Growers Associations annual meeting. Mio was inducted into the Treasure Valley Onion Hall of Fame during the luncheon.
Champion Seed Company stocked its booth with samples of its onion varieties.
Bob Simerly, Lindsey du Toit and Mike Thornton take part in a panel discussion about pink root.
Onion World • March/April 2016
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produce, are still under all of the FSMA provisions. There will still be water testing and recordkeeping that will need to be done,” Reitz clarified. FSMA allows two to four years, depending on the size of the farm, to initiate water testing. Farms have an additional two years to establish a water quality profile, and then must continue to test water annually. Reitz mentioned that FSMA allows for third-party water testing, which may add credibility in the eyes of customers, and offer logistical advantages to growers including the option to share test results with neighboring farmers using the same water source. Reitz stressed that the final rule is a vast improvement over the original proposal, under which water containing E. coli in an amount exceeding certain limits could not be used for irrigation until levels fell below the threshold. He credits the onion growers and shippers in Malheur County and Idaho for helping bring about this change. “The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee and local growers’ associations supported research that addressed many of the concerns FDA had and led to appropriate modifications in the rules that
will benefit the entire produce industry,” Reitz reflected. He continued, “It’s a good situation for the onion growers. There will still be the regulatory hoops to jump through, but it shouldn’t impact their ability to grow onions and irrigate them with the water they have available.”
FSMA-Related Research
Clint Shock, OSU Malheur Experiment Station director, followed with a presentation of data from the latest research looking at the transfer of E. coli in irrigation water to onion bulbs. Results from trials conducted in 2015 were in line with the previous two years of research, which essentially showed onions to be a low-risk crop from a food safety standpoint. As Shock reported, an onion field was irrigated with water containing no E. coli, and moderate or enhanced levels of E. coli through drip and furrow irrigation. As the water soaked through the silt-loam soil, the E. coli tended to remain in the soil water closest to the water source, whereas the soil water next to the onion bulbs contained very few E. coli. When onions were lifted, the amount of E. coli on the bulbs had no
relationship to the level of contamination in the irrigation water. Therefore, irrigation water applied through drip or furrow irrigation in the Treasure Valley’s siltloam soil does not appear to be a source of bacterial contamination, Shock said, adding that results may vary by production area, soil type and irrigation method. Onions were harvested – some into sterilized plastic crates and some into old wooden boxes – and then stored and packed out. At pack-out, none of the onions had detectable E. coli on the bulb exteriors or interiors, regardless of storage container type or irrigation water source. According to Shock, the use of plastic crates provides no advantage over wooden boxes in avoiding E. coli contamination on or in onions. “It’s really important that we have regulations that provide safe produce. It’s also really important that the rules not be too onerous for growers,” Shock said, explaining the need for the last three years of research. “There are some irrigation methods that are more conducive to transmitting bacteria to certain crops than furrow and drip irrigation is to transmitting disease to onions. I think we’ve shown that our production practices are pretty safe.”
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Medicating Onions for New Remedies to Consi By Brian A. Nault, Professor, Department of Entomology, Cornell University, New York State Agricultural Experiment Station
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nsecticide use continues to be the principal tool for medicating onions for onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman) infestations. Research is needed to continuously evaluate new remedies like the performance of new insecticides and strategies that minimize their use without compromising the level of control and that mitigate insecticide resistance development.
Efficacy of Minecto Pro for Thrips Control There are several highly effective insecticides available for managing onion thrips and a few that are much less effective. One product in the registration pipeline is Syngenta’s Minecto Pro, which includes two insecticides: abamectin and cyantraniliprole. While both of these active ingredients are
known to kill onion thrips, it was not known if the combination of the two would provide better thrips control than either active ingredient alone. In a 2015 field study in western New York, levels of onion thrips control using Minecto Pro at two rates (7 and 10 fl oz/ acre) were compared with levels of control provided by either Agri-Mek SC (3.5 fl oz/ acre) or Exirel (13.5 fl oz/acre) alone. Results indicated that Minecto Pro (at both low and high rates) was effective for managing onion thrips (Fig. 1). Minecto Pro did not provide a significantly better level of control than the level provided by either Exirel or Agri-Mek alone.
Best Strategy for Using Exirel Exirel (cyantraniliprole) is one of the newest insecticides registered on onion for
Onion Thrips Control in Onion - 2015 (Total thrips after 4 weekly sprays) Elba, Ny Untreated
b
Minecto Pro (low)
1)
b
Minecto Pro (high)
b 0
p< 0.0001 60
120
180
Mean Total Number Larvae/ Plant Figure 1. Comparison of onion thrips control in an onion field trial in 2015. Means with the same letters are not significantly different Figure 1. Comparison of onion thrips control in an onion field trial in (P>0.05; Tukey’s HSD).
2015. Means with the same letters are not significantly different (P>0.05; Tukey’s HSD).
Onion World
Mean # larvae per leaf
7
b
Exirel
8
Evaluating Onion Thrips Control using Exirel Applied at two Different Action Thresholds
a
Agri-Mek SC
managing thrips. Identifying when best to use Exirel for managing onion thrips during the season was not known and field research was needed to determine whether a more conservative or liberal approach should be taken. In 2015, efficacy of Exirel (at 13.5 fl oz/ acre) was evaluated by applying it when the infestation reached either one thrips larva/ leaf (conservative) or three thrips larvae/leaf (liberal); a standard application treatment was included by applying Exirel weekly (July 7-31; four applications total). Results in 2015 revealed that a more conservative action threshold of one thrips larva/leaf provided better control of the thrips infestation than using the more liberal threshold of three thrips larvae/leaf (Fig. 2). Densities of thrips were similar in plots in
Elba, NY 2015
6
a
5
Exirel weekly
4
Determine an action threshold for Exirel 3
a
Exirel @ 1 larva/leaf Exirel @ 3 larvae/leaf
2
b b
1 0
Untreated
7-Jul
11-Jul
15-Jul
19-Jul
23-Jul
27-Jul
31-Jul
4-Aug
Sampling Date Figure 2. Exirel (cyantraniliprole) was applied either weekly or when the thrips population reached one larva/leaf or three larvae/leaf in a smallFigure Exirel in (cyantraniliprole) was applied or when the 7. plot field2.study Elba, NY in 2015. Sprayseither wereweekly initiated on July thrips population one larva/leaf or three larvae/leaf in adifferent small-plot Means followed reached by the same letter are not significantly (P>0.05; field study in Elba, NY in 2015. Sprays were initiated on July 7. Means Tukey’s HSD). followed by the same letter are not significantly different (P>0.05; Tukey’s HSD).
Thrips Infestations: ider At Champion Seed Company... which Exirel was applied weekly and when it was applied following the one larva/leaf threshold (Fig.2).
Best Product for Early-Season Thrips Management Movento (spirotetramat) and Radiant SC (spinetoram) are two of the most effective products for managing onion thrips infestations in onion. Movento and Radiant have excellent activity against immature thrips, but Radiant has better activity against adult thrips than Movento. The current recommendation is to use Movento as the first product and Radiant as the third product in a season-long sequence to manage thrips (Fig. 3). However, Radiant could be a better choice than Movento for killing thrips adults that initially colonize onion fields in June, thereby considerably reducing subsequent larval populations. In 2015, a field experiment was conducted to compare levels of thrips control using either Movento or Radiant as the first product in a sequence. One treatment included applying Movento (at 5 fl oz/ acre) twice followed by two applications of Radiant SC (at 6 fl oz/acre), whereas the other treatment started with two applications of Radiant and then followed by two applications of Movento (same rates as the first treatment). All applications were made weekly beginning on July 7. Results in 2015 indicated that both insecticide treatment regimes effectively controlled the onion thrips infestation (Fig. 4). Overall, there was no difference in the cumulative number of onion thrips larvae between the insecticide treatments at the
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Guidelines for Season Season-Long SeasonLong Control Using a Sequence of Products
4) Lannate + Warrior or Exirel 3) Radiant 2) Agri-Mek or Exirel 1) Movento
Thrips
Planting
Harvest
Onions 15-Mar
14-Apr
14-May
13-Jun
13-Jul
12-Aug
11-Sep
11-Oct
Figure 3. Products suggested to use in a season-long sequence to manage onion thrips infestations in onion. Each small box represents Figure 3. Products suggested to use in a season-long sequence to manage the theoretical duration in of onion. a thrips generation; there maythe betheoretical up to four onion thrips infestations Each small box represents generations year. duration of aper thrips generation; there may be up to four generations per year.
end of the study on August 4. However, the sequence that began with two applications of Movento and finished with two applications of Radiant (red line) provided significantly better thrips control than the sequence that began with Radiant SC and finished with Movento (blue line) on July 21 (Fig. 4). Therefore, initiating a season-long program with Movento and using Radiant later in the season should continue to be practiced.
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Mean # of larvae per leaf
Spray when threshold exceeds 1 thrips/leaf
Early-Season Efficacy of Movento and Radiant Applied in Opposite Sequences
1)
7
a
Elba, NY 2015
6
Untreated
5
MMRR
4
Determine an action threshold for Exirel 3
b
2
threshold
c
1 0
RR MM
7-Jul
11-Jul
15-Jul
19-Jul
23-Jul
27-Jul
31-Jul
4-Aug
Sampling Date
Figure 4. Movento (M) and Radiant SC (R) were applied weekly in difFiguresequences 4. Moventoto (M) and Radiant SC (R) applied weekly ferent determine which waswere most effective for in managing different sequences to determine which was in most effective early-season infestations of onion thrips a field studyforinmanaging Elba, NY in early-season of onion thrips7.inMeans a field followed study in Elba, NY in letters 2015. Spraysinfestations were initiated on July by different 2015. Sprays were initiated(P<0.05; on July 7.Tukey’s Means followed are significantly different HSD). by different letters are significantly different (P<0.05; Tukey’s HSD).
Impact of Co-Applying Insecticides, Surfactants on Thrips Control, Incidence of Foliar Diseases Many of the commonly used insecticides for managing onion thrips infestations require co-application with a surfactant to maximize their efficacy. The surfactants modify the leaf surface in a manner that more easily permits penetration of the insecticide into the leaf. While this physical change in the leaf surface is
Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Thrips Densities Cumulative number of larvae per plant (4 weeks)
important for improving the efficacy of the insecticide, there is concern that alteration of the leaf’s surface may improve the ability of plant pathogens to infect the plant. To investigate the potential negative impact of co-applying insecticides with surfactants on the incidence of foliar diseases, a field trial was conducted in New York in 2015 in which various surfactants were combined with insecticides. Surfactants representing four different classes were evaluated using recommended rates: Induce (non-ionic), MSO (methlyated seed oil), JMS Stylet Oil (mineral oil) and Silwet L-77 (organosilicone). The insecticide sequence was evaluated either with or without these surfactants for four weeks. The insecticide sequence was Movento, Movento, Agri-Mek and Agri-Mek (MMAA). Results indicated that the insecticide-only treatment (MMAA Only) provided poor control of the thrips infestation (Fig. 5). Insecticide treatments co-applied with surfactants significantly reduced thrips densities compared with the untreated control. Treatments that included Induce, JMS Stylet Oil or Silwet performed the best (Fig. 5). These results confirm previous studies that have shown surfactants to be important for improving the efficacy of insecticides to control onion thrips in onion. Results in 2015 indicated that surfactants did not exacerbate the incidence of foliar diseases (Fig. 6; all three graphs). The incidence of Botrytis leaf blight was similar between the levels in the insecticide-only treatment and those that received surfactants. The highest incidence of Botrytis leaf blight occurred in untreated plots that also had the most thrips damage; perhaps, an association
cv. ‘Gunnison F1’
N=4
200
Elba, Ny 2015
a 150
ab
100
50 0
with surfactants
c Untreated
MMAA Only
MMAA+ Induce
bc
MMAA+ MSO
c
c
MMAA+ JMS oil
MMAA+ Silwet
Insecticide Treatment
Figure 5. Mean total total number of thrips larvae larvae in the insecticide-only treatFigure 5. Mean number of thrips in the insecticidement (Movento [M] and Agri-Mek SC [A]; =MMAA) and those co-applied only treatment (Movento [M] and Agri-Mek SC [A]; =MMAA) with various surfactants in a field study in Elba, NY in 2015. Sprays were and those co-applied with various surfactants in a field study applied weekly for four weeks. Means followed by different letters arein Elba, NYdifferent in 2015.(P<0.05; Sprays Tukey’s were applied significantly HSD). weekly for four weeks.
Means followed by different letters are significantly different (P<0.05; Tukey’s HSD).
exists between the two. Levels of downy mildew were highly variable; percent plants with downy mildew symptoms that received or did not receive surfactants ranged from 0 to over 10 percent. The incidence of target spot lesions (caused primarily by Stemphylium leaf blight) was similar among all treatments and untreated plots.
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Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Downy Mildew
Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Botrytis leaf blight N=4
cv. ‘Gunnison F1’
8
Elba, Ny July 24, 2015
with surfactants 6 4 2 0
Untreated M M A A Only M M A A + Induce
MMAA+ MSO
MMAA+ JMS oil
40
Percent Plants with Symptoms
Mean Number of BLB Lesions/ Leaf
10
cv. ‘Gunnison F1’
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Elba, Ny 2015
with surfactants
20
10
0
MMAA+ Silwet
N=4
Untreated M M A A Only M M A A + Induce
Insecticide Treatment
MMAA+ MSO
MMAA+ JMS oil
MMAA+ Silwet
Insecticide Treatment
Figure 6. Mean incidence of foliar pathogens in treatments that received no pesticides (untreated), insecticides only, or insecticides plus surfactants in a
Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Downy Mildew N=4
cv. ‘Gunnison F1’
Elba, Ny 2015
Percent Plants with Symptoms
In 2008, Radiant SC became commercially available in New with surfactants York for30use on onion to manage onion thrips. Radiant SC has been consistently effective for managing onion thrips and most onion fields are20 treated one to two times during the season. This year, some New York onion growers noticed that Radiant at lower rates 10 did not work as effectively as it had in past years and other growers needed the highest recommended rate (10 fl oz/acre) to achieve 0 Untreated M M A A Only M M A A + an M Minvestigation AA+ M M A A + into M M AdeterminA+ control. These discussions prompted Induce
MSO
JMS oil
Silwet
ing levels of onion thrips control using Radiant SC over the past 8 N=4 cv. ‘Gunnison F1’ Elba, Ny 2015 decade. Since6 2005, field research in the Nault Program has included evaluwith surfactants ations of Radiant SC at various rates (typically 6 fl oz/acre). In each trial, Radiant was applied twice one week apart, and densities of thrips 4 were recorded one week after each application; the two recordings 2 summed. The reduction in thrips densities in plots treated then were with Radiant relative to densities in the untreated control was calculat0 ed in each small plot field trial and thenMplotted through time (Fig. 7). Untreated M M A A Only M M A A + MAA+ MMAA+ MMAA+ Mean Number of Lesions/Leaf
Historical Performance of Radiant SC 40
Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Season Average Target Spot Lesions
Induce
Insecticide Treatment
Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Season Average Target Spot Lesions
Mean Number of Lesions/Leaf
8
N=4
cv. ‘Gunnison F1’
6
Elba, Ny 2015
with surfactants
2
Untreated
M M A A Only M M A A + Induce
MMAA+ MSO
MMAA+ JMS oil
MMAA+ Silwet
Insecticide Treatment
Figure 6. Mean incidence of foliar pathogens in treatments that received no pesticides (untreated), insecticides only, or insecticides plus surfactants in a field study in Elba, NY in 2015. Sprays were applied weekly for four weeks.
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Onion World
JMS oil
Silwet
Figure 6. Mean incidence of foliar pathogens in treatments that r pesticides (untreated), insecticides only, or insecticides plus surf field study in Elba, NY in 2015. Sprays were applied weekly for weeks.
4
0
MSO
Insecticide Treatment
Mean Number of Lesions/Leaf
8
N=4
cv. ‘Gunnison F1’
6
Elba, Ny 2015
with surfactants
4
2
0
Untreated
M M A A Only M M A A + Induce
MMAA+ MSO
MMAA+ JMS oil
MMAA+ Silwet
Insecticide Treatment
Reduction in Thrips Control in Onion using Spinetoram Over the Past Decade in New York Reduction (%) in thrips densities
Evaluation of Insecticides Co-applied with Various Surfactants on Season Average Target Spot Lesions
100
Spinetoram
90
6 fl oz/acre 7 fl oz/are 8 fl oz/acre
80
70
60
50 2004
F= 12.87; df= 1,8; P= 0.0071 y= 6610 - 3.2x R2= 0.63 2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
Year
a field study in Elba, NY in 2015. Sprays were applied weekly for four weeks.
Figure7. Percent reduction in onion thrips control using spinetoram (Radiant SC) Percent reduction in onion control using spinetoram SC) inand a series of inFigure7. a series of onion field trialsthrips near Elba, NY. Circles,(Radiant diamonds triangles onion field trials near Elba, NY. Circles, diamonds and triangles signify 6 fl oz/acre, 7 fl oz/acre 6received fl oz/acre, 7no fl oz/acre and 8 flOnions oz/acre spinetoram, respectively. Figure 6. Mean incidence of foliar pathogens in treatmentssignify that and 8 fl oz/acre rates of spinetoram, respectively. wererates treatedof twice with spinetoram one week apart, and the numberstwice of onion thrips larvae were recorded from apart, 15 plantsand per plot week Onions were treated with spinetoram one week theone numbers of pesticides (untreated), insecticides only, or insecticides plus surfactants in a after each application. The total number of thrips after both samplings was used to calculate percent Results show a negative trend in percent reduction of thrips den- onion thrips larvae were recorded from 15 plants per plot one week after each reduction in the infestation relative to densities in the untreated control plots. Densities of onion in Elba, in suggest 2015. Sprays were applied weekly for four application. The total number of thrips both samplings was used to calculate sitiesfield usingstudy Radiant. These NY results that resistance to Radiant thrips in untreated plots were similar among years after (data not shown). Note: the y-axis spans 50-100 percent reduction in onion thripsinfestation larval densities. percent reduction in the relative to densities in the untreated control weeks. in these onion thrips populations. Research is needed is developing plots. Densities of onion thrips in untreated plots were similar among years (data to confirm levels of onion thrips susceptibility to Radiant in onion not shown). Note: the y-axis spans 50-100 percent reduction in onion thrips larval densities. fields using laboratory bioassays in New York as well as in other
U.S. onion production areas. Such information will be helpful to know whether resistance has developed and where control failures may be most likely to occur so that onion growers can determine which insecticides to use for managing thrips infestations.
Editor’s note: This article was prepared to summarize a presentation made by Brian A. Nault at the 2016 Empire State Producers Expo on Jan. 20 in Syracuse, New York. Nault can be reached by email at
[email protected] or by visiting http://nault.entomology.cornell.edu/.
Onion World • March/April 2016
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The Onion House
Deep Roots Long-term relationships with growers, buyers are a key to success for The Onion House in south Texas. By Eric Woolson
While Don Ed Holmes oversees operations at The Onion House, the Weslaco, Texas packing and marketing firm he co-founded in 1999 and has solely owned since 2005, his wife, Janie, keeps the company's accounting in order. Photo courtesy The Onion House
W
hen it comes to explaining why Don Ed Holmes and his Weslaco, Texas onion packing and marketing business is so successful, one of the Midwest’s mostestablished distributors of fruits and vegetables has a simple answer. “Don Ed runs a good operation. He's good with his farmers and good with his customers,” explains Joe Comito, chairman of the board of Capital City Fruit, operating in Des Moines, Iowa, since 1949. “Trust is a big part of it. The people who really treat you right are the people you have long-term relationships with in this business, and Don Ed is one of those people.” Comito, who was nine years old when he started working in his family’s business the year it opened, has known Holmes since Holmes was also a child. That’s because Comito was among a group of investors who helped finance annual onion crops produced by Holmes’ father, Charles Jr., the guitar-playing member of a family that not only owned the radio station but also performed live weekly on KVOP in Plainview, Texas. He and Comito first connected when Don Ed’s father was a grower for the Louisiana Strawberry Co. and the nowdefunct DeBruyn Produce Co. “It was a long time ago, but I think we invested with him for 10 years. Some years you’d hit and some you’d miss, but we never lost money,” Comito recalls.
Building The Onion House
Don Ed Holmes was a boy when he began working on the farm started by his grandfather Ed Holmes, picking up
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burlap sacks in the field and working the sacking machine before moving to the grading table and driving a forklift by the time he was in seventh grade. “I was literally raised in the onion field and the onion packing shed,” he says. By the time he completed his education at Texas Tech University in 1977, his father was eager for him to return to the farm, but instead they both agreed he would take up DeBruyn’s job offer to sell onions. That’s when Comito started to work with him. “We’ve always brokered onions. Back then, there weren’t a lot of onions from Mexico except whites in the winter,” Comito says. “Don Ed was fresh out of college when I started dealing with him, buying onions from him.” In the meantime, Holmes settled in Weslaco, a Rio Grande Valley community just north of the Mexico border. Located 55 miles from the Gulf of Mexico, it is known for hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. He had worked for DeBruyn Produce for 20 years when the owners decided to pare their Texas operations. He teamed with the Tom Lange Co., a national brokerage firm, in an onion marketing and distribution arrangement and then launched The Onion House with the Grasmick brothers of Granada, Colorado, in July 1999. Holmes bought out his partners in 2005. The Onion House receives fresh onions from Mexico during the first three to four months of the year before taking in the 600-acre harvest from 15 growers around Weslaco in April and May. “Then we have other growers from the Mexican state of Chihuahua that take us from June through the end of July, and we take the first part of August for vacation,” Holmes says. During the latter part of August and into September, The Onion House receives harvests from John Harold’s Olathe, Colorado-based Buffalo Packing Co. and Norman Farms Bear Valley Onion in the town of Corinne, Utah. Those crops are sold through the fall and early winter before the cycle begins anew. “We’ve been working with Norman Brothers the last five years, the group at Buffalo Packing since 1996 and
Don Ed Holmes walks a Weslaco, Texas grower's onion field. The region was hard hit by heavy rains in 2015 but looks to bounce back with more favorable weather this year. Photo courtesy The Onion House
most of our Rio Grande Valley growers since the 1970s when we were still with DeBruyn,” Holmes explains. “We’re a close-knit operation and we don’t usually take on a lot of new growers or lose growers. I have two very experienced salesmen working in my office, Steve Roach and Chuck Hill, and between all
three of us, we have 95 years of experience selling onions. We sell onions because that’s what we know.” Another person who has been with Holmes since DeBruyn days is his wife, Janie, who handles the company books. “Her presence adds a valuable level of comfort. I couldn’t have done it with-
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Onion World • March/April 2016
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Don Ed Holmes inspects inbound onions from Mexico. Photo courtesy The Onion House
out her. She keeps me focused and keeps her hands on the purse strings. You hear horror stories about someone’s accountant running off with the money. If it happened to me, at least she’d still be in the family,” he says with a laugh. After his company launch, Holmes leased a DeBruyn facility but awoke one day in 2008 to find the property had been sold. Meanwhile, a former picklepacking facility on 12 acres of land and encompassing 80,000 square feet including offices, eight docks and 10,000 square feet of coolers came up for sale just down the street. “I used to drive by it all the time and dream about it,” Holmes says. “Between 2007 being one of our best-ever onion years and having a good banker, we were able to buy. We were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.”
Capital City and six or seven other wholesalers and brokers.” Those buyers are located mostly in the Southeast, South Central and Midwest regions and up to Buffalo, New York. “Since we’re not weighed down by the 800-pound gorillas of the retail market, we can pay more attention to the needs of our customers,” Holmes insists. Currently, about 60 percent of the 1.5 million 50-pound bags of onions that The Onion House sells each year come from south of the border. As acres grown for harvest around Weslaco have fallen from nearly 18,000 to less than 5,500, Holmes expects more of his product to come from Mexico in the future. The reasons are familiar: U.S. labor costs, rising federal regulations and increasing costs associated with the Affordable Care Act.
“Whenever anyone can do something cheaper, the work is going to go there because the competition is just too strong,” Holmes says. “It’s not just onions, but other fruits and vegetables that are moving south. The weather is better and the workforce is willing to work for cheaper wages.” He continues, “They’re doing a good job down there. They’re up on American food-safety standards and they know their markets. One-third of the fruit and two-thirds of the vegetables consumed in the U.S. come from out of the country. Everything is moving in that direction but we’re in a good spot here.” Holmes feels The Onion House has been “blessed with the best onion farmers and a strong customer base,” and adds, “Our plan is to continue building long-term relationships with our customers, like the one with Capital City.”
A Formula That Works Holmes’ success is attributable to another factor: he was ready, willing and able to zig when others zagged into the retail market. As chain stores grew wildly, merged or went out of business, brokers who had entered the arena were forced to fight harder for a customer base that tightly squeezed margins. “We were in the right place at the right time again as those companies started chasing retail because it left the wholesalers and smaller retailers – the original good customers – without so many people like me chasing them,” Holmes says. “We concentrated on keeping those really good customers we’d had from the DeBruyn days, keeping a hold of those customers like
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Don Ed Holmes, owner of The Onion House, examines a three-pound bag of yellow onions after it is packed and prepared for shipping. Photo courtesy The Onion House
In the Market
Reformulated Bio-Fungicide for Onion Disease Management
Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. has introduced a new formulation of its REGALIA® biofungicide for control of a variety of foliar and soil-borne pathogens. The product is labeled for use in a wide range of conventional and organic
crops including onions. In onion production, its main use is for the management of soil-borne diseases like Rhizoctonia and also foliar diseases such as mildews and purple blotch. According to the company, the product activates a plant’s natural defenses to protect against disease, while boosting overall plant health, which can translate into increased yield, enhanced root development and plant vigor. The
new formulation is also said to allow for easier mixing and dispersion in the tank. REGALIA can be used as a stand-alone product, but is best used in combination with other fungicides to strengthen integrated pest management programs and to help manage resistance. Visit www.marronebioinnovations.com/agproducts/brand/regalia/.
Calendar April 7
July 13-16
Vidalia Onion Field Day, Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center, noon. Contact Cliff Riner, (912) 237-0546,
[email protected].
National Onion Association Summer Convention, Sheraton At The Falls, Niagara Falls. Visit www.onions-usa.org.
June 20-22
Oct. 14-16
United Fresh 2016, McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Ill. Visit www.unitedfresh.org.
PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo, Orlando, Fla. Visit www.freshsummit.com.
Editor’s Note: To have your event listed, please email the editor, Denise Keller, at
[email protected]. Please send your information 90 days in advance.
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Treasure Valley Onion Hall of Fame Reid Saito and Ron Mio accept plaques in recognition of their induction into the Treasure Valley Onion Hall of Fame. From left to right: Paul Skeen, Malheur County Onion Growers Association; Saito; Mio; Clinton Wissel, Idaho Onion Growers Association. Photo by Mike Stoker
Pair Honored for Decades of Leadership
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Onion World
F
or years and from opposite sides of the Snake River, Reid Saito and Ron Mio worked closely together – Saito for the Malheur County Onion Growers Association and Mio for the Idaho Onion Growers Association – to help the Treasure Valley onion industry succeed and grow. In recognition of their willingness to lead and their selfless service, Saito and Mio were inducted into the Treasure Valley Onion Hall of Fame during the annual meeting of the Idaho and Malheur County Onion Growers Associations, held Feb. 2 in Ontario, Oregon.
Reid Saito
Reid Saito, a founding partner of Snake River Produce Company, grew up on the Saito family farm in Nyssa, Oregon. After high school, Saito earned a degree in English literature from the University of Oregon, and then traveled to Tokyo, Japan on an international studies program, where he spent almost four years learning the Japanese language and culture while teaching English. In 1975, his father, Kayno Saito, encouraged him to consider returning to the farm as the future outlook for farming was very bright. As it turned out, that was the year that onion
prices fell to 50 cents per stub and beet prices went from $40 per ton to $17. But Saito did return and continued to farm with his father and uncles on their farm, KLG Farms. Saito married Kaylene Miyasako in 1979. The couple has two children, Randy and Kimberly. Kaylene’s family was also in the onion business. Saito learned a lot from the Miyasakos and their partners. They helped plant the idea of a grower-owned packing operation. In 1999, Saito partnered with growers Ken Teramura, Les Ito, Ross Nishihara and former Muir-Roberts Company vice president Kay Riley, to form Snake River Produce Company. Saito says this was one of the best financial decisions he ever made and ensured the success of his farm. Saito has served on many agriculture boards over the years. He has served on the Malheur County Onion Growers Association board of directors since 1979 including 14 years as president and 16 years as treasurer. He was appointed by former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber to the State Board of Agriculture, on which he served for eight years including a year as chairman in 1999. Saito has also filled the roles of IdahoEastern Oregon Onion Export Committee chairman, co-chair for the Food Producers of Eastern Oregon and vice chair for the Owyhee Water Quality Planning Committee. He has also served on the Malheur Experiment Station Advisory Committee, the Fruit and Vegetable Ag Crisis and Legislative Committee and the Malheur Ag and Extension Coalition leading to the tax service district for the extension service and experiment station. The Saitos are now readying for a new chapter in their lives as they look toward retirement.
Ron Mio
Recently retired from growing onions, Ron Mio was raised in Fruitland, Idaho, and graduated from Fruitland High School. After graduation, Mio attended Portland Technical School and Boise State University. As school wasn’t his cup of tea, he then worked at various jobs in Boise. Once getting his fill of time away from the farm, Mio made the decision to return to Fruitland to farm with his father and his Uncle Sandy. Mio has been there ever since, growing many crops over the years including onions, sugar beets, mint, corn, wheat, dill and seed beans. His father started growing onions in the Gaston, Oregon area in the 1940s and then later relocated the farm to the Fruitland area. Mio worked on the family farm growing up doing all the various jobs from behind a shovel to behind a steering wheel before getting a driver’s license. At one time, the Fruitland area had 1,500 acres of commercial onions being grown but, due to Iris yellow spot virus, production is now maybe 40 acres. Due to this unrelenting virus, Mio Farms retired from growing onions in 2013.
Mio served on the Idaho Onion Growers Association board of directors from 1993 to 2014, holding the title of president for 13 of those 21 years. He also served on the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee from 2011 to 2014, IdahoEastern Oregon Promotion Committee from 2010 to 2014 and Idaho-Eastern Oregon Research Committee from 1992 to 2005. Mio served on other agricultural boards over the years, as well, including the Idaho State Pesticide Management Commission, Farm Credit Local Advisory Committee, Noble Ditch Co., Payette River Water Users Association, Water District #65, Lake Reservoir Co. and Far West Spearmint Oil Administrative Committee. Mio enjoyed growing onions most of the time and still enjoys keeping up with the goings-on of the onion industry. Mio and his wife, Lisa, have been married since 1972 and have two children, Chris and Staci, and three granddaughters, Courtney, Ashley and Lauren. Chris and his wife, Kristy, now farm with them. Staci and her husband, Nate, live in Denver.
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Colorado Onion Association members of the board of directors who were present at the meeting are (from left): Wayne Stewart of Fagerberg Produce, Eaton; R.T. Sakata of Sakata Farms, Brighton; Ryan Homewood of RDH Enterprises, Delta; Brent Hines of Brent Hines Farm, Delta; Harry Strohauer of Strohauer Farms, LaSalle; Larry Duell, Champion Seed Co., Greeley; Glen Fritzler, Fritzler Farms, LaSalle; Joe Petrocco , David Petrocco Farms, Brighton; Randy Knutson of Zabka Farms, Greeley; Tanya Fell, COA executive vice president; and James Ewing, Ewing Farms, LaSalle. Photo by Sandy Lindblad Lee
Colorado Onion Association Annual Meeting
Meeting Highlights Industry Issues, Research Results By Sandy Lindblad Lee
A
lthough social media’s popularity continues to skyrocket, radio is actually the number one medium to reach consumers, according to Kim Reddin of the National Onion Association (NOA). Reddin, NOA’s director of public and industry relations, was one of several speakers among the full agenda at the Colorado Onion Association (COA) annual meeting, held Jan. 28 in Eaton, Colorado. Reddin reported that 93 percent of adults still listen to radio.
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“Radio is hot. It’s personal; it’s intimate. When you are in your car, it’s the radio and you,” she said, stressing that the coveted younger listeners, ages 18 to 49, can be reached through that medium. Reddin hastened to acknowledge the impact of social media, citing the phenomenal results obtained through her “Twitter Parties” as an example. Reddin recently teamed up with a blogger and was able to reach an estimated 3.2 million participants in one hour. She also highlighted several interesting consumer
trends, including the increasing number of males who are doing the grocery shopping for their households. She noted that 46 percent of meal occasions are eating alone, with the family meal concept continuing to decrease. Another NOA staffer who spoke at the COA meeting was Wayne Mininger, executive vice president, who had recently returned from South America. “The onion world is really changing,” he said, outlining the increasing sweet onion industry in Peru. “Eighteen years ago,
no one was growing or packing onions. Now they are packing and shipping 5,000 to 6,000 loads per year.” He added, “There’s no norm going forward for the onion, the most widelytraded raw vegetable in the world.”
Research Needs Several Colorado State University (CSU) researchers shared reports at the annual gathering. New to most of the audience was Dr. Mark Uchanski of the CSU Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture. Uchanski has taken over some of the duties of Dr. Howard Schwartz, longtime professor of plant pathology, who retired last summer. Uchanski sought input from the attendees as to future priorities for research. R.T. Sakata of Sakata Farms in Brighton, Colorado, and COA president, responded that “internal diseases and rots are some of our biggest issues and concerns that I hope will be addressed.” Uchanski also updated attendees on the ipmPIPE project (integrated pest management Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education). This coordinated effort to improve pest and disease control consists of a network of 40 experimental plots planted in seven states.
H-2A Guest Worker Program
A session on the H-2A guest worker program drew strong interest from the group. Kerry Scott, program manager from Mas Labor, Lovingston, Virginia, explained how the program, which brings in seasonal workers from other countries, can help fill the need for temporary labor.
To qualify for the program, the business must be agricultural in nature, seasonal, “and you must prove you tried to hire people locally and came up short.” The employer is required to pay for the workers’ transportation and housing in addition to wages, which average $11.27 per hour nationally. The largest numbers of guest workers are brought in from Mexico, but the H-2A program has brought in people from 62 different countries.
Irrigation, Onion Health Benefits Studies coordinated by Dr. Michael Bartolo, extension vegetable crop specialist at the Arkansas Valley Research Center in Rocky Ford, Colorado, looked at irrigation water concerns and the health benefits of onions. With water use and management becoming increasingly important, Bartolo has focused on drip irrigation and its consumptive use and has conducted extensive irrigation water testing for bacterial control. In the Arkansas Valley, when utilizing drip irrigation, Bartolo has determined that “an average of 23.22 inches of water needs to be applied during the season to finish the crop.” He has also studied whether onions are affected by water-borne pathogens including Escherichia coli (E. coli). He has been attempting to determine if pathogen levels in water can be mitigated via treatment. Onions and research documenting their many health benefits continue to draw interest from consumers, and Bartolo is conducting a multi-year study relating to that potential. Exciting results showing onions’ cancer-preventing properties
include their potential to prevent breast cancer. In one of the studies, Bartolo and his associates used transgenic mice with mammary tumor formation. A diet containing 30 percent onions resulted in “significant reduction in tumors,” he noted. Other serious conditions and diseases which onions may prevent are numerous. In addition to cancer prevention, Bartolo said studies have shown that onions also may have the ability to reduce the risk of cataracts, have some antibiotic activity, may lower the risk of neurodegenerative disorders, and may have the ability to lower cholesterol and prevent blood clotting. The CSU Arkansas Valley Research Center, where Bartolo is based is one of three onion test locations in a “crops for health” lab in a wide-ranging university project that focuses on the development and production of food crops for health benefits. “We’re also looking at environmental effects, including ultraviolet light and how it alters phenolic levels,” Bartolo reported. The “phenolic” content includes several compounds which have positive effects on health. Among the three state trial locations in 2015, onions planted in northern Colorado at elevations over 4,000 feet “have some-
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Onion World • March/April 2016
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times shown increased concentrations of phenolics,” he added.
IYSV, Mycorrhizae Research In another educational session, Dr. Thad Gourd, agricultural extension director based at the CSU Adams County Extension office in Henderson, Colorado, gave a detailed report on the 2015 onion variety trials in northern Colorado. His ongoing studies of onion thrips’ impact on the Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) spread continued through 2015. He reported that the growing season, which included “the wettest May in history” had some effect on trial results. The primary direction of his research is to help growers reduce overall costs per acre. “Any way we can cut and reduce the number of sprayings, that’s where we’ve got to be focused,” he said. Gourd’s research in 2015 also included “an evaluation of mycorrhizal fungi on commercially-grown onions in Colorado. Gourd had been optimistic that “the symbiotic relationship of mycorrhizae, which colonizes and infects the roots, could actually provide some benefits to the onion plants.” Gourd said there was potential that this fungus “could increase efficiency of drawing water, increase pathogen resistance and enhance plant vigor.” Seeds were treated with mycorrhizae at planting in field trials in two northern Colorado locations. Unfortunately, evaluations of the results included “no significant difference in disease reduction or yield increase with adding mycorrhizae.”
In the News
Peri & Sons Farms Earns Sustainability Certification
Peri & Sons Farms in Yerington, Nevada, announced it has become the first domestic, onion farming operation to achieve the Sustainably Grown certification from SCS Global Services. The certification is one of the most rigorous, voluntary agricultural certifications offered, according to Peri & Sons. It is “based on comprehensive, science-based criteria aimed at minimizing environmental impacts and providing a safe and healthy work environment.” “As a company, we are all about being proactive and transparent. It’s just part of our company culture to blaze trails rather than wait for industry mandates,” says Teri Gibson, director of marketing and customer relations at Peri & Sons. “We think that sustainability is becoming an important differentiator in the marketplace and we believe it adds significant value to our brand.” The company says it plans to remain fully committed to sustainable practices with the goal of meeting or exceeding produce-industry standards. Peri & Sons Farms has been growing, packing and shipping onions for more than 35 years, currently farming thousands of acres and selling over 350 million pounds of onions.
Director Elections During the annual membership meeting, three directors were elected to fill four positions which were expiring. Brent Hines of Brent Hines Farms in Delta, Colorado, was reelected to represent the Western Slope growing region, and R.T. Sakata was reelected to represent the Front Range area. A newly-elected member of the board of directors was James Ewing of Ewing Farms in LaSalle, Colorado. Dennis Hoshiko of Hoshiko Farms in Greeley, Colorado, and Randy Knutson of Zabka Farms in Greeley stepped down from the board since both of these companies are no longer growing onions.
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NOA Welcomes New Administrative Assistant
The National Onion Association (NOA) has welcomed Sharla Johnston as its new administrative assistant/accountant following the retirement of Monna Canaday. Johnston began working alongside Canaday last November and attended the NOA’s annual convention in December, during which Canaday was honored for her 30 years of employment with the association.
Thankful for the transition time with Canaday, Johnston is excited to step into her new role. “I am really looking forward to building on Monna’s legacy and Sharla Johnston finding ways to improve member experiences while growing and strengthening the association’s well-being,” Johnston said. Johnston holds an associate degree in accounting and has experience in Monna Canaday varied accounting capacities with many ag-related businesses. Most recently, she was employed as the treasurer for the town of Severance, Colorado, where she spent the past six years. Johnston grew up in a rural, ag-based community with family ties to both animal and crop production. A proud 10-year 4-H member, she enjoyed raising dairy goats, sewing, photography and genealogy. Favorite hobbies now include quilting, gardening, and camping and fishing with her husband and four children. “Sharla’s background in accounting and interest in agriculture are important assets,” said Wayne Mininger, NOA executive vice president. “She will bring fresh ideas to the association that will help us grow as we evolve and service members. I’m excited about what lies ahead for the NOA.”
flavonoid-rich foods, such as onions, apples or tea, decreases the chance of cancer by suppressing cancer-causing agents. These foods were also shown to help decrease the risk of heart disease. The compounds produced by quercetin, which is found in onions and apples, are broken down by the body and help prevent chronic inflammation that results in the thickening of the arteries, blood clotting in the arteries, etc. The study concluded that onions should be included in an individual’s diet, as they have positive effects on heath, including suppressing cancer-causing agents in the body and keeping the arterial vessels healthy.
C.S.I. Chemical’s Michael Carpenter Passes Away Michael (Mike) David Carpenter, 64, of Fenton, Missouri, passed away on Feb. 5.
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Carpenter devoted 45 years to the family business, C.S.I. Chemical Corporation. The Iowabased company, started in 1955 as a manufacturer of liquid fertilizers, sells products including Nutri-Cal. Carpenter’s pride and joy were his four sons and watching them build their own families, as well as developing loving relationships with each of his nine grandchildren. In 2007, he married Jacqueline (Burger) Carpenter. They built a life together in Fenton and, in recent years, enjoyed their home at the Lake of the Ozarks. His children describe him as a hard worker, a disciple, loving father, devoted husband and a storyteller with a great sense of humor. Carpenter leaves behind his wife, parents, children and their spouses, grandchildren and numerous other family members.
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