Snake River Produce gears up for onion season

With new management in place, Nyssa, Ore.-based Snake River Produce is in a good position for the start of the Idaho-eastern Oregon onion season, says Joshua Frederick,  general manager for the company.

The company expects to have good supplies of onions on hand by the first part of September, Frederick said.

Established in 1999, Snake River Produce has seen the involvement of various onion growers through the years. 

Growers and partners Kevin Corn and Chris Payne have purchased shares from the previous partners, allowing full ownership in 2022 , Frederick said. 

Frederick also joined the company with the purchase to manage Snake River Produce, replacing the retiring Kay Riley. Courtney Rueth joined Snake River Produce as a sales assistant.

Crop challenges

This season’s onion outlook is mixed, with the marketer’s acreage up but weather factors likely expected to lower yields compared with normal, Frederick said.

“Our acreage has increased compared to last year,” Frederick said.  We did lose some acreage when some of the original growers retired and quit farming, but in return, we added some new growers this season to offset that, along with our increase of acreage. “

Frederick said the company is and will remain a family farm and work only with family farm-based growers. 

“We strive on quality, food safety and excellent customer service, along with making sure our employees know, without their hard work and dedication to our farms and production facility, none of this would ever be possible,” Frederick said.

Heat conditions in 2021 caused yields that year to sag 30%, he said, and this year’s yields will be challenged, as well, because of summer heat.

Growing conditions have been challenging for onions, Frederick said. Cooler temperatures and excessive winds in the spring were followed by extreme heat throughout the summer.

On the demand side, Frederick said foodservice demand will never be like it once was. 

“Our economy and the population have changed the ways they conduct business, including how produce is bought and sold. I doubt there will ever be a 'normal' again,” he said.

However, Frederick feels good about the future.

“I am optimistic for the fact that we have restructured our team here at Snake River with a couple of new faces, and the atmosphere among our workers has proven the change is good,” he said. “It also has been great working with our neighbors that grow and have come on board for the season. We look forward to the future years working with them, which is allowing us to grow and expand. Our growth will not be limited to our continued business with the foodservice and processors that make up our base of volume, but also a move into the retail side of things by offering consumer packs now.”