The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee aims to increase the consumption of the two states’ onions through promotional programs, education, advertising and other communications.
The group represents more than 200 growers and 30 shippers in Southwestern Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon, according to its website. The Idaho-Eastern Oregon growing region is located along the Snake River on the southwest portion of Idaho and Malheur County.
Each year the committee offers:
- Foodservice and retail materials — Printed information is available that covers, prep tips, yields, sizing, storage, recipes and more.
- Full-color POS merchandise material.
- Recipe cards for consumers and foodservice — An online cookbook on the group’s website and a printed cookbook are free of charge upon request with no shipping added.
- Educational material — Coloring sheets for kids and printed information for the classroom are available by request.
Growers in the Snake River Valley plant approximately 21,000 acres every year, with the combination of the valley’s climate and soil creating favorable growing conditions for third and fourth-generation farmers to harvest more than 24,000 (40-pound) car lots annually, according to the committee.
Growers in the region plant yellow, red and white varieties of sweet Spanish seed. The crop is planted in March and April, and harvest begins in August and continues into October. Yellow onions account for approximately 90% of the acreage, according to the group.
Premium-quality Idaho-Eastern Oregon onions are available from August to March/April from storage facilities in the region.
The USDA estimated total harvested onion acreage in Idaho in 2023 was 10,900, up from 10,600 in 2022 and about the same area harvested as 2021. Oregon harvested onion acreage for the whole state, including but not limited to Malheur County, was 20,900 acres in 2023, down from 22,700 acres in 2022 and off from 21,800 acres in 2021.
