Condition of the crop was mostly fair to good through the season. In California, very few problems were reported for summer non-storage onions once fields had dried to allow harvesting to start. Growers were reporting large bulb sizes and high yields. Nationally, production of non-storage onions is forecast at 5.10 million cwt., down 2 percent from last year's production, while the harvest area covers 12,150 acres, down 4 percent from last year. Washington's Walla Walla onion harvest started around mid-June, with yields less than normal as some seeders were occurring.
Quality is good to above average.
New York's onion growing mucklands were hit hard by hail storms in late May and early June. Preliminary reports showed almost total crop failure in Orange County, which has approximately half the state's onion acreage. Most of the damage was from hail, but heavy rains also flooded fields. Michigan's crop was planted early due to favorable early spring weather. Wind damage was reported for some fields, but the crop is developing well at this time.