Texas onion sizing, and yields, looking good so far for Little Bear Produce

Texas sweet onion volume will be picking up for Little Bear Produce in Mid-March, says Jeff Brechler, sales representative with the Edinburg, Texas-based company.

Harvest volume will accelerate further by late March, he said. Sizing is shaping up well, he said, despite concerns about cold weather during Christmas.

“We are even packing out some super colossal size,” he said in early March. “So far, sizing is looking good.”

Texas onion acreage for Little Bear Produce is similar to the past few years, but with larger onion size, yields could be up this year, Brechler said.

“Our yields might increase a little bit if we can stay on the positive side of the size spectrum,” he said. 

Related news: Texas onion season set for big volume

Retail support for Texas onions will be strong, he said. About 75% of the marketer’s onions are sold to retail, he said, with most of that volume focused on the Midwest and the Northeast.

The marketer has a program and commitments in place for the season, Brechler said, and pricing will work itself out.

Producers continue to face high input costs, he said. “The inputs that went into producing the crop in the field are still very high; packaging, boxes, pallets — everything is still inflated.”

For Little Bear Produce, the transition between Mexico and Texas could be a little later than expected, Brechler said.

“On paper, we were supposed to finish around March 10 to March 15, but it will probably be closer to the latter part of March," he said.

Little Bear will transition some of its customers to New Mexico onions in the first part of June, with other customers transitioning to Vidalia onions from the middle to the end of May.

Related news: Morning Kiss Organic to feature full line of onions, including organic Vidalia