The Snake River Valley of Idaho-Eastern
Oregon 
The onion growers of the Snake
River Valley area of Idaho-Eastern Oregon (also known as
Treasure Valley) produces about 40% of the nation's
onions each year during the period from August to April. The 2004 crop is being
planted. The crop will consist of about 20,000
acres of mostly yellow onions with white and red
varieties also being grown. The area is noted for its
large onions and this coming season will be no
exception. The Treasure Valley receives only 9 to 10
inches of rainfall a year…and mostly during the
winter months. The onion crop is grown under irrigation
with water stored during the winter and spring in
reservoirs. This combination of water, climate and good
soils allows our growers to produce the highest per acre
yields in the nation with a good percentage of
Collossal and Super Collossal size onions.
A variety of irrigation methods are being used with an eye towards water conservation. These methods include furrow irrigation with polyacrylimides and straw mulching, surge irrigation, drip irrigation, and sprinkler irrigation. To find out more on these cutting edge conservation irrigation practices visit the Malheur County Experiment Station at: http://www.primenet.com/~mesosu/index.html
The onion industry of
Idaho-Eastern Oregon falls under a Federal Marketing
Order which regulates size and quality standards. Each of
the over 20,000 truckloads of fresh pack onions is
checked by state inspectors to ensure that the onions
meet federal standards for sizing and quality before the
load is shipped. Learn more about our marketing order at
the Idaho-Eastern Oregon Web page: http://www.onions.org/
If you
are interested in purchasing onions please contact Snake
River Produce Company.
"I don't like shoes that pinch your toes or people who squirt you with a garden hose but…mmmmm I love Onions!